Title: THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME
Author: Leonard Bassed
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 108
Genre: YA

Synopsis

Leonard Bassed had no plan to write a novel titled THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME when he set out to create a movie script with a similar name.  “I had written the pilot script first and I kept the same ending for the novel…everything from the script I wrote found its way into the finished book version of ‘The Witch Port Video Game,’ said writer-singer-actor Leonard Bassed.  “I was able to spend more time developing the characters and their world…the whole thing was just such an organic experience and extremely enjoyable, creative for me.”

THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME tells the story through the lives of three ordinary teens who live in the fictional town of Cradle Creek, USA – a small town they hope to one day escape, attracted by the bright lights and promise of the Big City.  All three are students at a prestigious performing art school with hopes of one day making names for themselves in the entertainment world.

Mr. Bassed continued about his story, “A chance encounter the three have with a girl named Bianca Morris threatens to derail their plans. Bianca introduces them to an enticing video game, ‘The Witch Port Video Game’.  This encounter, coupled with the arrival of the MacQuoid brothers sets in motion a series of bizarre events that spins their lives into chaos and disarray as the three head into a world of sorcery with an ultimate fight for survival.”

As a young boy growing up in South Africa, Leonard dreamed one day of working in the arts.  He wanted to write, to act, to sing.  While drawn to acting and songwriting, he was also a good storyteller.  “The auditions I would go out for as an actor were never reflective of the kinds of roles I was after to play. It was this realization that led me to write the pilot script which I planned to pitch to TV and movie producers.  But, once I finished the script I’d grown too attached to the characters and the wonders of their world that ultimately led the script into the shape of a full novel,” he went on to say.

 

 

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Praise

“While the book’s final moments leave us with a rather sudden, enigmatic ending, an endnote does indicate a sequel Witch Port Igniting the Coven on the horizon. For those who enjoy the entertaining literary chemistry that results from inquisitive teens and their foray into the mysterious world of sorcery, Bassed’s venture should prove an intriguing reveal.” –Pacific Book Review

 

“Filled with cheeky references to famous pop-culture stories of sorcery and mixed with some classic teenage angst, this book is a fast-paced, suspenseful story. The novel’s premise that some teenagers gain special powers through a video game is an updated, modern take on magic and suits the story quite well for a 21st-century setting. The author sets up the story mechanisms so that everything that happens through the students’ video gameplay also happens in real life. The author states that this novel was originally a screenplay, and those elements shine through, from the descriptive settings to the fast pace in which the action occurs on the page. It will be interesting to see how the protagonists grow with their powers in the sequel.” –The U.S. Review of Books

 

Review

This YA novella is a cross between Charmed (which is actually mentioned in the book) and Sabrina the Teenage Witch and probably a few other teen movies filled with teen drama.  Since the book is shorter we don’t really get to know the characters that well except for Martin since he seems to be the main character.  What we know about him – he is gay, black, artistic (dancer, singer, performer), has some serious facial cleansing rituals, and has two best friends that are girls.  This trio likes to sneak out and do things they probably shouldn’t be doing including drinking.  I’m not quite sure how kids that are 15-16 can pass for legal age in a diner, maybe they look mature for their age?

The story was intriguing and I feel like there is so much more to learn about the characters, what will happen with these powers, who are they up against (demons, warlocks, sorcerers), and does Martin have powers that he needs to learn to control?  This book starts the reader down the path and whets your appetite for more details and what is going to happen next for Martin, Francesca, and Mackenzie.

While I enjoyed the story I do have a few issues with the book.  It is only available in print format (or at least that is how it was offered to me) but the font is TINY.  I had a hard time reading the book and had to make sure I had enough light.  Secondly, there would be multiple characters speaking in the same paragraph.  It was very confusing and it would have been better if the dialogue for each character speaking were separated into its own paragraph.  I do come across a few spelling and grammatical errors but nothing too serious.

Overall this was a good book and if someone enjoys YA books with the magical twist, then you just might enjoy this book.  We give it 3 paws up.

 

 

Excerpt

“I begin to hear an eerie chant being recited in unison as the first three naked women make it to the dark summit. Holding long, makeshift brooms, in their right hands, they chant: “Drink the flight broth, wood in hand. Burn the root …” An elderly woman with lanky hair picks up the goblet, takes a sip of its contents, and inhales the smoke of an already burning smudge stick. The chanting continues: “Then dive from the cliff…” This is perhaps the most startling scene I’ve ever witnessed. The woman runs off the edge of the cliff, seemingly to plummet to her death, but I hear “Not by wind nor by wings, airborne sisters thou shall soar.” Suddenly, the woman who vanished off the cliff reappears, hovering in mid-air on a broom. She begins cackling, and the louder her cackles, the higher she floats. Soon a host of other women mimic her actions, cackling into the night air.” – By Leonard Bassed

 

This is one of my favorite excerpts from my novel, ‘The Witch Port Video Game’ because of the imagery it conjures.

My novel begins with Martin’s recollection of a vision he once had. In the vision, women are seen diving off a cliff and flying on their brooms, true to the stereotypical portrayal of witches in the media and western folklore.

The women are depicted inhaling something resembling a smudge stick this leaves the reader unsure whether they’re indeed flying or having some sort of hallucinogenic experience brought on by the smoke.

 

 

About the Author

Writer-actor-singer Leonard Bassed was born in the town of Middleburg, Mpumalanga and raised in Johannesburg.  He started taking vocal lessons at age eight and studied drama throughout his high school years.  A mentor encouraged him to pursue an acting career.  Leonard went on to complete acting classes in both South Africa and later Los Angeles.  Currently, when not writing or singing, Leonard continues to study acting techniques with the renowned Margie Haber Studio in Hollywood. In his free time, he enjoys travel, reading and movie going.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

The Fever Cabinet (Professor Molly Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Hawaiian Heritage Press (August 20, 2019)
(November 20, 2019, all formats)
Print Length: 209 pages

Synopsis

An abandoned hospital, an antique contrivance, and a very modern murder . . .

All Professor Molly wanted to do was teach literature. Instead she’s just been named chair of her department at Mahina State University, and her department has been relocated to a run-down former asylum. She’s buried in paperwork and her dean has assigned her to mentor the department’s new “star”, the prickly Fiona Spencer.

Fiona Spencer had her own reasons for relocating from Oxford to join the faculty at remote Mahina State University. She is willing to put up with the broken air conditioning and constant construction noise in the College of Commerce building (formerly the Territorial Inebriates’ Asylum). She can even tolerate her annoying department head, Molly Barda. But when she finds a body in her office, clamped into an antique medical device, it’s all a bit much. Especially when she becomes a murder suspect.

Now Fiona and Molly have to work together to find a solution. And the answer won’t be found in the back of the textbook.

 

 

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About the Author

Like Professor Molly, Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike her protagonist, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn’t fair, at least it can be entertaining. In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.

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Giveaway

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SINGAPORE FLING

Carpe Diem Chronicles, #2

by

MAIDA MALBY

 

Contemporary Romance / Multicultural

Publisher: EOT Publications

Date of Publication: October 21, 2019

Number of Pages: 267

 

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One alluring French-Filipina beauty. One sexy US Air Force officer. One torrid weekend affair. 

Maddie Duvall should be living it up at her challenging new job in glamorous Singapore. But two months after her wild weekend with Aidan Ryan, she’s still yearning for him. She craves the passion only he can ignite in her.

Aidan’s job takes him around the world, yet he can’t get Maddie out of his mind. When he returns to his assignment in Singapore, he seeks her out with a proposition she can’t turn down.

Intensely enamored with one another, their relationship takes off. But when Aidan’s mission exposes treachery by someone close to Maddie, lines blur and wires get crossed. Can their growing love survive the intrigue?

Singapore Fling is Book 2 of Carpe Diem Chronicles, a series of multicultural contemporary romance novels. The stories celebrate the rich cultures of exotic Southeast Asian islands through languages, food, and festivals.

 

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PRAISE

 

“This second full-length volume in her Carpe Diem Chronicles is sexy, quick to read, and full of well-rounded, interesting characters. Family ties and female friendship add to the depth of the world and make you want more books.” ~ Catherine Stein, Award-winning Author of How to Seduce a Spy

“This book was great. Everything from the well-rounded characters to the interesting foods and exciting locale drew me in as a reader. I could clearly picture, hear, and smell/taste the story. The plot was perfect and the romance had just the right amount of intrigue and crisis. ~ Danielle Bellwood, Author of Daring (The Candomble Book 1)

“This book is a great deal of fun and the hero and heroine are both likable and realistic people. As usual, Malby’s writing shines best when writing about Singapore, particularly the culture and the FOOD!! ~ Gena Gilliam, Amazon Reviewer

 

 

Love is a partnership, not to be dominated by one or the other.  This is the main lesson that Aidan and Maddie struggle to learn in Singapore Fling.

If you are looking for a book full of hot romance, culture, and even some intrigue, this might be the book (and series) you want to pick up for your next read.  I became immersed in this book and enjoyed every moment of the story.  It is definitely sizzling due to the food and the sex scenes but at the same time, both Aidan and Maddie are holding parts of themselves back from each other.  Is it apprehension?  Or maybe it is how they grew up or the job they hold and expectations.  There is one line that devastated me because no one should feel this way: “Apart from herself, nobody considered Maddie their number one priority.”  But on the flip side, she embraced her dual heritage – Filipino and French.  It made her unique and was an asset that drew Aidan into her life.

The dialogue between Aidan and Maddie was sensual, comedic, and loving.  No, life wasn’t easy for them and they both embark on paths that may not be right for their relationship, but this is a path that all relationships must endure to become something solid and lasting.  Because Aidan is military, he is used to being direct and to the point, and perhaps a bit harsh with his comments but wanting Maddie (and some input from his brothers) reshapes his rough and tough attitude to something a little softer, at least with Maddie.  Maddie realizes that she too has to bend and perhaps Aidan has her best interests in mind.

I thought the definitions at the beginning of each chapter were a nice touch to introduce words I may not know and define them before they were used in the book.   The descriptions of the island, various locations they visited, the food all added to the picture in my mind as if I was there with them.  Not all of the food sounded good to me (I personally don’t like seafood) but I’m intrigued by the Hainanese chicken rice and will need to seek out this recipe and give it a try.

Some of my favorite lines:

“We’ve already established our chemistry; I don’t want to find somebody else.”

“Do you only go at one speed, Aidan?  The speed of light?

“Humility is a virtue you clearly do not have.”

“You shouldn’t wear perfume if you don’t want anybody to smell you.”

“He was coffee.  Black, no sugar, the way she preferred it: strong, hot, addictive.”

 

Overall I enjoyed the book and give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

Maida Malby writes, reads, reviews, and lives Romance. Through her multicultural contemporary romance stories, she takes readers on trips to her favorite places in the world and shares her experiences of their rich cultural heritage.

She is a member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), San Antonio Romance Authors (SARA), Cultural, Interracial, Multicultural Special Interest Chapter of the Romance Writers of America (CIMRWA), and several romance book clubs. Her To-Be-Read Mountain and reviews of romance novels are featured on her website.

When not writing, reading, or reviewing books, Maida consults her husband on word selection, debates with her ten-year-old son regarding the Oxford comma, cooks the dishes she features in her stories, procrastibakes using Baileys as her secret yummy ingredient, and watches golf and food shows on TV.

 

Website  ⬞    Instagram  ⬞   Facebook

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————————————-

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

FOUR WINNERS!

1ST PRIZE (US only)

Kindle Fire 7 + Signed Copy of Singapore Fling

2ND PRIZE (US only)

Signed copies of Boracay Vows and Singapore Fling + charm bracelet

3RD PRIZE (US only)

Signed copy of Singapore Fling + spice paste packets (Hainanese Chicken Rice and Laksa)

4TH PRIZE (international)

 eBooks of all three books in the Carpe Diem Chronicles series

NOVEMBER 12-22, 2019

 

 

 

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Check out the other blogs on this tour

 

11/12/19	Top Five	The Clueless Gent
11/12/19	Bonus Post	Hall Ways Blog
11/13/19	Review	Forgotten Winds
11/14/19	Author Interview	Chapter Break Book Blog
11/15/19	Guest Post	All the Ups and Downs
11/16/19	Review	Missus Gonzo
11/17/19	Review	Reading by Moonlight
11/18/19	Scrapbook Page	That’s What She’s Reading
11/19/19	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
11/20/19	Guest Post	The Page Unbound
11/21/19	Review	The Book Review

 

 

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Hazards in Hampshire (A British Book Tour Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Camel Press (October 15, 2019)
Paperback: Number of Pages 190

Synopsis

Moving to a quiet English village should have been tranquil, but Claire Barclay learns that even an invitation to tea can be deadly. Who killed Mrs. Paulson, the president of the local Mystery Books Club? Was the motive for murder located in the archives of the book club? The members of the books club might have reason to want Mrs. Paulson’s out of the way. She had lived in the village all her life, been involved in many organizations and societies and knew many secrets of the villagers. Was one secret too dangerous for her to keep? She had been wealthy and left her money to a member of the club. Could the legatee have been impatient for her inheritance? Who cared enough to want her dead? Claire, an expert in solving problems in her job as a tour guide, decides to delve into the archives and into the lives of the villagers—and find out.

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * IndieBound

 

Guest Post

Today we are lucky enough to have Emma Dakin visiting and a look into what Mary Greenwood thinks about all that is going on in this book.  She has some good insight and I hope you enjoy her thoughts as much as I enjoyed her POV.

 

Mary Greenwood’s p.o.v.

Claire Barclay seems like a positive addition to our village of Ashton-on-Tinch We need new people. Heaven knows, we had blundered along with the same set of characters fulfilling their same roles for years. If I didn’t’ teach interesting young people in the local grammar school, I would find it hard to live here. Claire has her own business, a tour guiding business, so she will have the intellectual stimulation of new people with every tour and be content here. She’s probably in her mid-forties, but she has a young mind in that she is curious and interested in people. I think I’m going to like her.

Mind you, she had a rough start in his village. She found Isobel Paulson’s body after someone had murdered her. I can’t think it was Claire who murdered her. Primarily because if she had she wouldn’t have been so stupid as to ‘discover’ the body. Besides, it isn’t likely. She seems stable and businesslike. I can’t see it.

Somebody killed Isobel. I am a likely suspect as I often felt like it. She could be so critical of young people. I can’t stand that. Give them a chance. The least little thing offended her and she’d lash out verbally. I remember when Jack Appleby lost his dog. He wandered around in a daze for weeks, grieving for that charming mutt. Jack had found him dying on the road after a car hit him. Isobel thought his grief was ‘unseemly’ and told Jack to stop being so self-centered. That only added guilt to Jack’s grief. I had him after school very day for a week listening to him processing that devastating lost. He was twelve. She was cruel. Still, I visited her because my mother had, and when Mum died, I felt I should take up that burden I didn’t do it often, because she did irritate me.

Isobel didn’t like dogs so I had to leave my old Gracie at home when I went to her house. Gracie liked an outing and it seemed unfair to deprive her of it. But Isobel wouldn’t even let me in if I had Gracie. She had been an opinionated, snobbish, sometimes rude, old tarter.

But as irritating as she had been, I was sorry she’d died. It seemed as if the village would never be the same, especially since someone hated her enough to murder her and the speculation on who had done it drifted over the village like one of those spectres from a gothic novel. The police were discreet but they were a presence, especially that Detective Inspector Owens from the CID. Nothing much would get past him. The town was rumbling with theories and suppositions. Suspicion fell on everyone, even me.

 

About the Author

This is Emma Dakin’s first series, set in Britain the homeland of Emma’s grandparents. Emma channels her mother’s inherited English culture along with the attitudes and sayings of the modern Brits. She travels widely in England and at one point this May while traveling through the Yorkshire Moors she had all the tourists on a tour bus looking for a good place to hide a body. As Marion Crook, she has published many novels of adventure and mystery for young adult and middle-grade readers as well as non-fiction for adults and young adults and non-fiction on social issues. Firmly in the cozy mystery genre now, and committed to absorbing the culture and changing world of Britain, she plans to enjoy the research and the writing of cozies.

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Giveaway

 

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Title: The Family Journal
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Synopsis

At the end of her rope, single mom Lily Anderson is determined to move her rebellious children in the right direction. That means taking away their cell phones, tablets, and computers—at least temporarily—and moving to the house where Lily grew up in the rural town of Comfort, Texas. But Lily has a bigger challenge than two sulking kids.

The house comes with Mack Cooper, high school teacher and handsome longtime renter. The arrangement: just housemates. But Mack’s devoted attention to the kids starts to warm Lily’s resistant heart. Then Lily finds an old leather-bound book in which five generations of her female ancestors shared their struggles and dreams. To Lily, it’s a bracing reminder about the importance of family . . . and love.

Now it’s time for Lily to add an adventurous new chapter to the cherished family journal—by embracing a fresh start and taking a chance on a man who could make her house a home.

 

Carolyn Brown Answers Questions About Writing a Hundred Books

Tell us about the first time you remember ever putting pen to paper. Was it a slow evolution to becoming an author, or did you have an epiphany that this is what you were supposed to be doing?

I really can’t remember when I didn’t write stories, but I got serious about writing a book when my third child was born. She had her days and nights turned around. Since I had to be up until the wee hours of the morning, I got out a notebook, sharpened some pencils and started my first novel. I was twenty-four that year. For the next twenty-five years I collected rejection slips. I do believe I have enough to wallpaper the White House. I don’t mean that little two holer down at the end of the path in Grammie’s back yard, but the one in Washington, D.C. When I was forty-nine, I got “the call”. That was twenty-two years and one hundred books ago, and I know in my heart and soul that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

Is there anyone in your family that writes? Did you have a mentor that helped you push forward to become a full-time author?

My husband, Charles C. Brown, has written nine mysteries and is working on his tenth. He’s been my biggest supporter through my whole career. He’s a retired high school English teacher and he does the first edit on my books. Commas are not my friend, but they are his buddies—thank goodness.

How have you evolved as an author? What are some things that have changed since when you started writing up until now?

In the physical part of the business, lots has changed. I wrote most of my very first book by hand. When Mr. B bought a used typewrite at a garage sale and brought it in to me, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. In those sent in proposals with SASE (that’s self-addressed stamped envelopes) and if the editor wanted to see more, we sent in the full manuscript by mail. Now everything is sent over cyberspace.

In the evolution as a write, I hope that each book is better than the last and that all my books resonate with readers, touch their emotions and make them anxious to get the next one.

Do you have a set schedule for writing? Do you have any writing rituals or things that get you in the mood to write?

I’m very disciplined. I write somewhere between three and five thousand words a day. Sometimes it’s pure trash, but you can fix trash. You can’t fix nothing. From the time I start a book, my characters are in my head. They eat with me, sleep with me, talk to me…. shhhh…don’t tell anyone I hear voices!

Tell us about some turning points as a writer – some big things that happened that really changed your career.

One of the biggest things that changed my career was when Amazon bought the literary company, Avalon, and turned more than forty of my titles into paperbacks and digital. That made them financially available for more people, and my readership grew by leaps and bounds. Another was when I finally made the New York Times and the USA Today bestseller lists. But I have to say that hitting the number one spot on Amazon was a really the icing on the cupcake.

What does your writing future look like?

My future will simply be to keep on doing what I’m doing, and hope my readers continue to love my stories. There are five books on the docket for 2020, and four or five novellas. And we’ve already got a few scheduled for 2021.

What made you want your book, The Family Journal, your hundredth book? What makes this story and these characters special to you?

Family! Plain and simple. What better way to celebrate reaching one of my goals—to publish one hundred books—than to write about family? This story is about several generations of strong women in the past, a mother who’s at her wit’s end in the present, and a young daughter who represents the future. It’s family from the emotional first scene to the last.

***

Excerpt: The Family Journal by Carolyn Brown

Lily reached for her tea at the same time Mack was setting his glass back down. Their hands touched again. Her breath caught in her chest, and her pulse jacked up several notches.

“I’m going to ask you a dumb question,” he drawled. “Do you feel chemistry between us?”

Her chest tightened. Of course she felt something between them, but she damn sure didn’t want to talk about it like they were discussing the price of goat feed. And yet . . . they were adults, not hormonal teenagers who jumped into the fire with both feet when they felt something for another person. How many times had she told her clients in therapy sessions to talk things out?

“Why is that dumb?” she asked.

“It kind of sounded dumb in my head, and even more so when I said it,” he said.

“Yes, I do feel something between us.” She nodded. “I’ve wondered if it’s because I haven’t dated all that much. How about you?”

“No dates in three years. Nothing serious since Natalie,” he admitted.

“Do you think it’s because we hav-haven’t,” she stammered.

“No, I think there’s definitely an attraction between us, and I’ll tell you right now, up front, you deserve better than me,” he said.

Lily frowned so hard that her eyes became mere slits. “Why would you say a stupid thing like that?”

“I’m a high school vo-ag teacher, and I’ll never be rich. Hell, I’m forty-one, and I don’t even own a house. I’ve just got a pickup that’s paid for and a herd of goats,” he said.

“Why, Mack Cooper, are you thinkin’ marriage?” she joked. “You haven’t even kissed me yet.”

“I’m just thinking that we shouldn’t start anything without being completely honest, and, honey, I can remedy that kissing part anytime.” His green eyes twinkled.

Lily felt heat rising to her cheeks when she thought of kissing him. How in the devil would it even work if they did decide to go out, or got into a relationship beyond friendship? They lived in the same house with Holly and Braden underfoot all the time. “I’ve got two kids,” she blurted out.

“I’ve got forty goats.” He grinned.

“Did you say it’s time to go feed the goats?” Braden came across the room and leaned his arms on the back of the sofa.

Point proven, she thought.

“Yep, it is,” Mack answered. “I reckon we both need to get changed so we don’t ruin our good clothes.”

“I’ll be down in five minutes.” Braden ran up the stairs.

Mack crossed the room and bent to brush a sweet kiss across her lips. The tenderness of his mouth barely touching hers and his drawl combined to send a heat flash through her whole body. If that brief contact created such an effect, a relationship might burn down the house.

 

 

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author and RITA Finalist, Carolyn Brown, has published more than seventy books.  These days she is concentrating on her two loves:  women’s fiction and contemporary cowboy romance. She and her husband, a retired English teacher, make their home in southern Oklahoma.

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Memories and Murder (A Tourist Trap Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Kensington Publishing Corporation (November 12, 2019)
Paperback: 182 pages

Synopsis

 

It’s October in South Cove, California, and the locals in the quaint resort seem to be happily pairing off in the lull before the holidays. Everyone, that is, except for Jill Gardner’s elderly aunt, who just dumped her besotted fiancé—and she won’t say why.

When Jill hosts a talk at Coffee, Books, and More on the topic of elder abuse, all that’s really on her mind is lunch. But the topic hits close to home when she discovers Aunt Jackie has been getting mysterious calls. Jill’s certain the caller is a con artist, of course, but her feisty aunt claims to understand this, though she’s still shaken—and Harrold’s still heartbroken. Who’s behind the scam and why was her aunt targeted? When a volunteer from the Senior Project is found murdered, Jill’s detective boyfriend is on the case—and it soon becomes clear no one is safe when a caller from beyond becomes a killer in their midst.

 

 

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Review

It is amazing anytime I read a cozy book that has food in it (a coffee shop, restaurant, baker, etc) that I don’t gain 10 pounds just from reading all the delicious sound dishes.  Jill’s coffee shop is no exception especially when it is Sadie making the brownies, cookies, and more.

I always enjoy journeying back to South Cove and seeing what is new with Jill, Jackie, Greg, and Amy.  This merry bunch of characters keeps me on my toes with their wit and pension to end up involved with the latest case in town.  Greg should be involved since he is a police detective, but the others?  Not so much.  I suppose Jill can’t help it that the killer ends up in her sights, but not always on purpose.

This book deals with scams, especially on older citizens.  The author does a brilliant job of showcasing potential scams that might trap anyone that isn’t aware or watching what is happening to them.  Or they prey on emotions as they did with Jackie.  While this is common in today’s world (sadly), I liked the author’s take on that possibility and was quite surprised when everything came to light and who was involved.  All I will say is that it is multiple people and at least one of them surprised me.

Sometimes I wish I had Jill’s job….being able to read as much as she does but that is a perk (or a curse?) of owning a bookstore.

I am enjoying watching Greg and Jill’s relationship continue to progress and maybe one day down the road there will be wedding bells.  Only time will tell!

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

About the Author

Lynn Cahoon is the award-winning author of several New York Times and USA Today bestselling cozy mystery series. The Tourist Trap series is set in central coastal California with six holiday novellas releasing in 2018–2019. She also pens the Cat Latimer series available in mass market paperback. Her newest series, the Farm to Fork mystery series, debuted in 2018. She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies.

 

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Fate: A Doyle Witch Cozy Mystery (The Witches of Doyle)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
misterio press (November 15, 2019)
Number of Pages – 250

 

Synopsis

Something wicked this way comes…

Witch Jayce Bonheim has spent the last four months waiting for a horde of dark magicians to come to town.

Now, they’ve arrived.

And they’re bigger and badder than this ex-party girl could have imagined, wreaking havoc wherever they go.

When a murder rocks her small town, Jayce must stop the chaos. Battling her way through dark spells and past regrets, this Doyle witch struggles to divine her true friends…

…and her shadowy enemies.

But can she stop a murderer and prevent the opening of a portal that will transform their world forever?

Start reading Fate, book 6 in The Witches of Doyle cozy mystery novels.

This novel is a full-length, witch cozy mystery featuring true-to-life spells in the back of the book, a trio of witchy sisters, and a dash of romance. Though Fate can be read as a standalone, it’s best read in series order. It’s rated PG-13 due to mild language and some romance.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

RELAX. READ. RECHARGE. CONVERSE.

Starting this Saturday, Ground has changed its weekend hours, and our café will be open Saturdays! Thanks to Doyle and those who come from afar, we’ve been able to expand and add another day to our work week. (Sunday remains our fun day for the Ground staff to slow down, rest and recharge.)

We recognize things in Doyle have been a little tense lately, what with the murder and weird clouds and stuff. But we’ve looked into those weird lights in the sky (not that we don’t trust the sheriff – she’s awesome), and they’re only spotlights from the visiting circus. Really!

Anyway, we’re offering Ground as a communal space to come together and show everyone our support. Because after all, we’re in this together, right?

Ground has experienced overwhelming positivity from you, our customers, and we truly enjoy serving you. The atmosphere created in this space continues to blossom through your patronage.

So please keep following our feeds for updates. In addition to our new Magic Coffee Lotion✨, we have four new coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Guatemala, to keep you intrigued and delighted with our unique offerings.

☕ ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕

Intrigued? Read more about Ground in Fate, book 6 in the Doyle Witch cozy mystery novels!

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Tea and Tarot, Paranormal Museum and Wits’ End books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth, and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter

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Giveaway

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Synopsis

Mumbai, December 2016:

A young man found an ancient-looking piece of stone with strange images and Sanskrit inscriptions. A quest to know the origin of the stone brought him to the distant part of the country.

Chandannagar, December 2016:

A young vivacious historian woman read an old book on a century-old secret story about a little known part of the country. Her curiosity got the better of her as the book disappeared mysteriously before she could complete it. She reached a sleepy quaint state of the country to satiate her curiosity.

Eventually they both met and their search began from the city museum to a far-flung rock mountain which revealed a century-old story of a seductive danseuse, her enigmatic lover, a string of her admirers, a painter with a photographic memory, a bird that could speak in many voices, a benevolent king and a gruesome conspiracy. And the most important clue to decode the final secret was with the missing part of The Speaking Stone. But in the process of unearthing old secrets their lives were also in danger…

 

 

Excerpt

Chapter 1

 

December 2016, Mumbai

“Sir, we are about to close,” a courteous but curt voice materialized from near his shoulder. These words, however, had barely any effect on him as he just groaned sleepily, without budging even an inch.

The middle-aged man standing behind him hesitated for a moment before placing his fingers on his shoulder and tapping on it.

“Sir, it is well past one-thirty. We must close now at any cost. You know those Colaba police, na?” the man in uniform urged him. After all, he could not afford to speak in an authoritative manner with someone who frequented their pub, always drank enough to make the pub owner richer by a few thousand, behaved well with all the butlers unlike many other young men his age, and, above all, was always generous to give tips to the workers in the pub. He was quite a favourite with the staff of this famous pub, Voodoo, a little behind Hotel Taj Palace in Colaba. They looked up to him for another reason, too. It was his demonic capacity to drink and remain composed and collected even after that. Never before had it happened that he placed his head on the table, pillowed on his locked arms and slept blissfully. Whenever he visited Voodoo on weekends he was accompanied by one or two friends and the attendants in Voodoo knew that one of those friends, who didn’t drink, was always at the wheel while they returned from the pub. But tonight he was all alone and completely drunk. They were not sure as to how he would ride home.

“Sir,” the uniformed man called him again, tapping on his shoulder, a bit impatiently now. This time as he leaned to touch the young man’s shoulder the hanging end of his tie touched his ear and earlobe. What the earnest request and tapping of the attendant couldn’t do, the hanging end of the tie seemed to have done it effortlessly. Probably it sent a tickling sensation down his spine as he raised his head with a sleepy smile.

“Sorry,” said he, looking up.

“Sir, we are well past our closing time,” repeated the man. He passed a searching glance about and as he found the pub empty except for him a sheepish smile came over his lips.

“I am sorry,” said he, trying to get to his feet. A pleasant sweet smell of Black Label whisky issued from his mouth.

“May I use the toilet once before leaving?” he asked with his usual politeness and then headed to the Men’s with an unsteady gait.

He returned from the toilet after a few minutes, wiping his face with a handkerchief.

“Are you sure, sir, you can manage to go all by yourself?” asked the concerned attendant.

“I will,” replied he and staggered to the entrance of Voodoo.

The attendant watched his six-foot-tall frame leaving the pub and hoped he would reach home safely. He consulted the watch. It was a quarter to two.

Outside the pub the young man stood for a few moments, trying to gather his thoughts. He looked around then. The street in front of him was deserted. At the corner of the street, two stray dogs were sleeping, coiling themselves against each other to feel warm in the cold winter night. A thin wisp of smoke was spiralling up from a small heap of ashes. He knew the durwans from the nearby buildings might have lit the fire with the foliage and old discarded cardboard to warm themselves up. He did a mental calculation and tottered ahead at a slow pace. All that accompanied him was his hesitant footfall and a faithful shadow. He walked past Kashmir Emporium, Rustic Rajasthan, and an antique shop whose targeted customers were usually foreign tourists, and arrived behind the Taj Continental where scores of four-wheelers were parked. As he looked at the cars, parked in an astonishingly disciplined fashion to make the most of the space, a thought struck him. Most of the cars were white. He had no difficulty in finding his car. He opened the rear door of the car and plopped himself down on the seat. It was not long before he stretched at full length, occupying the entire back seat.

Soon he fell asleep when the crashing waves of the Arabian Sea, in front of Hotel Taj Continental, played a lullaby for him. It was the first night he slept in the car.

 

 

About the Author

Ratnadip Acharya is the author of two successful novels, Life is Always Aimless… Unless you love it and Paradise Lost & Regained. He is a columnist for the Speaking Tree in The Times of India. He contributed many write-ups in different collections of Chicken Soup for the Soul. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Sophia and son, Akash.

 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

 

 

Coming Up Murder (Professor Prather Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Camel Press (November 12, 2019)
Paperback: 258 pages

Everything’s coming up roses for Professor Emmeline Prather. Her scholarly book is finished, spring term is coming to a close, and her love life is blossoming. Then the festival surrounding the exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio opens, bringing with it a tempest more dramatic than the bard’s.

In his panel presentation, actor and grad student Tanner Sparks contends Shakespeare isn’t Shakespeare, boasting that he can prove the long-debated theory that an aristocrat actually penned the sonnets and plays. His bombshell sets off an acrid debate among scholars. But were they upset enough to kill him? That’s what Em wonders when Tanner is found dead in Shakespeare’s Garden, his macabre pose inspired by a scene from Hamlet.

At her department head’s urging, Em sets out to find the killer. Suspects abound, and Em finds herself targeted by Shakespeare-themed threats. Undaunted, she persists, determined to solve the case before the end of the semester.

 

 

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Indie Bound * Kobo

 

 

About the Author

Mary Angela is the author of two cozy mystery series that have strong protagonists with soft hearts. Emmeline Prather is the witty young teacher in the Professor Prather series, and Zo Jones is the sassy sleuth and shop owner in the Happy Camper series (coming from Kensington in 2020). When Mary isn’t penning heartwarming whodunits, she’s teaching, reading, traveling, or spending time with her family. She’s the proud mom of two beautiful daughters and the shameless owner of two very spoiled pets.

Webpage * Blog * GoodReads * Facebook * Twitter

 

Giveaway

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I love participating in this hop because it allows us to all be grateful for everything we have around us and our families and friends.

 

For this giveaway I have a couple of books I will be sending a lucky winner:

 

The first is a Gratitude journal/coloring book.  Perfect, right?!  The second book will be a surprise because I don’t know what it will be yet!

 

 

 

 

 

After entering the giveaway below, check out the other giveaways I have on my blog by searching for giveaway or under Categories on the right sidebar, choose Giveaway and it will pull them all up!

 

This is open to US residents only due to shipping costs

 

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Visit the other blogs participating in this hop and try your luck on their blogs.