Book Review and Giveaway - Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle: Mysteries of a Heart Series by Celeste Fenton

My Review

Gabby Heart and her best friend Abe travel to a Scottish castle to work on a new book series.  They find themselves in danger when they are taken hostage.  There is a second mystery on Dost Island, where young people are going missing.  

I wanted to read this book because I love mysteries.  The castle in Scotland was an intriguing setting.

The author does a very good job at describing the setting in a vivid "you are there" manner.  I found the Scottish castle very immersive.

Gabby is a courageous and likable protagonist.  I also liked Abe.  I have not read the first book in the series, and had a hard time keeping up with the many secondary characters in this book, so I suspect it would work best if the books were read in order.

This is a leisurely paced book, which I think adds to the immersive quality.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book and the way it slowly unfolded.

Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy Captive Heart at Branmar Castle, and it will be especially of interest for readers who also like the Scotland and castle setting.

Book Synopsis

Gabby Heart travels to a remote Scottish castle with her best friend, Abe—a bestselling children’s author—expecting misty views, historic charm, and quiet time to plan their next book series. But Brantmar Castle holds more than ghosts of the past. When the women are taken hostage, Gabby must rely on her instincts, her resilience, and the help of men who may not deserve her trust to survive.
Meanwhile, on Dost Island, young residents are vanishing without a trace. As those left behind scramble for answers, unsettling clues emerge—leading to a dark motive no one could have predicted.
From the storm-swept highlands of Scotland to the rocky shores of New England, Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle blends mystery, emotional grit, simmering romance, and humor, in a story where secrets run deep… and time is running out.

Two mysteries. One fight for survival. And danger closing in from both sides of the sea.

A slow-burn romantic suspense with an edgy cozy mystery twist peppered with humor, Captive Heart at Brantmar Castle is perfect for fans of strong women over 40, amateur sleuths, brooding men with buried secrets, and adventure in small seaside towns and exotic locales hiding deadly truths.

Author Bio

My writing is fueled by a lifelong love of mystery and a fascination with the complexities of the human heart. As a widow, mother of adult twin sons, proud grandmother, dog lover, and semi-retired educator, I believe I have enough real-world experience to weave imagination with insight to create stories rich with emotion and suspense.

When I’m not writing, reading, or plotting another plot twist, I like to explore small towns across America—setting out solo for month-long adventures much to the awe (and occasional alarm) of family and friends. My latest obsessions include escape rooms, mastering the perfect miter cut for a DIY bathroom remodel, training my cavalier spaniel to do a high five, and making the impossible decision of where to travel next.

Author Links

Website   https://celestefenton.com

Amazon Author Page   https://www.amazon.com/stores/CELESTE-FENTON/author/B0F5HTW7RK

YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@CelesteFentonWrites

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575815274859

Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/celestefentonwrites

TikTok  https://www.tiktok.com/@celestefenton?lang=en

LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/celeste-fenton-33811a357/

X  https://x.com/CFentonWrites

Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/celeste_fenton/

BookBub  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/1923908781

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N

Giveaway

Book Review - All Wrapped Up in a Mystery (An Orchard Grove Mystery Series) by Penni Justice

My Review

In the small town of Orchard Grove, Piper Landry is busy.  Christmas is coming, her new shop/home is still being renovated, and she is helping organize a charity auction, which includes volunteers dressed as elves who show up all over town.  Then a mysterious older man shows up in town looking for his son, and giving residents the creeps as he shows up unexpectedly at town events.

I wanted to read All Wrapped Up in a Mystery because I enjoy cozy mysteries and loved the first book in the Orchard Grove Mystery Series. 

This book is set during the holiday season.  The author, Penni Justice, does a wonderful job with descriptions and setting the scene:

"Snowflakes drifted lazily through the crisp December air, dusting rooftops and turning Orchard Grove's sidewalks into a frosted quilt.  The little tourist town, nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, looked as if it had stepped straight out of a holiday movie set.  Each shop front had joined in the town's promise to honor the playhouse's upcoming production of White Christmas.  The windows glittered with frosted garlands and velvet bows.  Tiny speakers hidden in doorways piped out the soft strains of The Christmas Song and I'll Be Home for Christmas, their notes mingling with the crunch of boots on fresh snow" (pg. 3).

I loved the details of the holiday fundraiser, with volunteer elves helping out throughout town!  It was fun, too, seeing Piper make this all come together.

Piper is a smart, kind, empathetic character (she volunteers her new store space as a shelter during a snow storm).  I also like her friends and loved ones:  Aunt Violet, Piper's boyfriend Mike, her best friend Lucy, her Great Pyrenees Maddie, and a new pet addition, Ginger the cat.

Penni does a great job at interweaving several storylines in this book:  the renovation of Piper's new store, the holiday auction, some mountain land that is for sale, and the mystery.

The mystery is subtly done and does not overtake the holiday spirit of the book.  The mysterious older man who shows up randomly, and a surprising murder, worry Piper and she sets out to be especially observant and help solve the mystery.

All Wrapped Up in a Mystery is a great entry into this new mystery series.  I enjoyed it and recommend it to other cozy mystery fans - especially to other readers who enjoy a charming, small town holiday settings.  

Book Synopsis

As snow falls and secrets surface, Piper's Christmas plans are about to be wrapped in mystery.

Christmas is just around the corner in Orchard Grove, and Piper Landry is knee-deep in holiday cheer—and drywall. With her bookstore café still under renovation, she volunteers to help organize the town’s annual elf-themed charity auction, hoping to enjoy a quiet season of cocoa and community spirit.

But when a well-loved volunteer turns up dead in the middle of the festivities, the holiday magic takes a chilling turn. With the sheriff short on answers and a mysterious newcomer stirring up trouble, Piper can’t help but get involved.

As snow falls and tensions rise, she teams up once again with Aunt Violet and her best friend, Lucy, to unwrap a mystery that might be darker than a mountain winter night.

Author Bio 

Penni Justice McDaniel is a lifelong book lover and storyteller at heart. An Atlanta native, she now lives in the scenic North Georgia mountains with her husband in a certified wildlife sanctuary. Surrounded by nature and inspired by the charm of a nearby tourist town, Penni crafted her debut cozy mystery, Blueprint for Murder. The beauty of mountain living, along with cherished memories of traveling across the country and hearing true-life stories from family and friends, often sparks ideas for her writing.

Her love of books began early, nurtured by frequent trips to libraries in Atlanta, Decatur, and Tucker, Georgia, where her mother introduced her to the magic of reading. She fell in love with fiction after discovering Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. As the church librarian, her mother also provided a treasure trove of young adult fiction and mysteries that further fueled Penni’s passion.

An avid reader, Penni devours around 70 fiction books each year, favoring cozy mysteries, historical fiction, and spy thrillers. In May 2023, she earned her second college degree, graduating with honors from Southern New Hampshire University with a B.A. in Creative Writing and English, concentrating in fiction writing. Her coursework included numerous fiction workshops that helped her hone her narrative style and voice.

For the past 24 years, Penni has owned and operated a music entertainment agency, specializing in public relations, writing, ghostwriting, and marketing. In addition to her fiction, she is working on a historical novel set in South Georgia during the 1940s and overseas during World War II.

Penni and her husband are the proud parents of three grown children, a son-in-law, and a daughter-in-law—each inspiring her with their humor, intelligence, and love. They are, in her words, “the absolute joys of my life.”

Links

Penni Justice - official website

All Wrapped Up in a Mystery at Amazon

Book Review and Giveaway - Murder, She Wrote: The Body in the Trees by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran

My Review

Murder, She Wrote: The Body in the Trees is set in Fall in Cabot Cove.  Jessica Fletcher befriends a group of leaf peepers from Florida.  When one of them is discovered murdered, Jessica works to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries.  I enjoy the Murder She Wrote series and try to read each new book as it is released.

This is one of my favorite cozy series.  As much as I enjoy Jessica's travels, I especially love the books set in Cabot Cove, like The Body in the Trees.  The descriptions of Fall in Maine are wonderful!  I also enjoyed the way so much of the town was involved in this story, between the mysterious death of Florida tourist Wendy Lu Shaffer, the community trying to stop a purse thief who travels by bike, and a group volunteer effort to read to children at Halloween at the local hospital.  I especially liked all the scenes with Jessica and her friend Maureen Metzger.  

There were a few more twists and turns in this mystery than usual, and the killer surprised me!   As always, I enjoyed Jessica's sleuthing and her deductive skills.  

I enthusiastically recommend Murder, She Wrote: The Body in the Trees - and the whole Murder She Wrote series.  Cozy mystery fans will love this one!

Book Synopsis

The newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.

It’s leaf-peeping season in Cabot Cove, but for someone, it’s killing season!

A quartet of friends from Florida have come to Maine to experience a New England autumn, complete with hiking in the woods and fishing. When one of them goes missing, the town rallies to find the presumably lost but otherwise safe tourist. But when newspaper editor Dan Andrews is biking on the trail along a ridge, he looks down and sees a leg caught in the branches of a tree. Count on Jessica Fletcher to uncover the secret reason the victim came to town . . . and how it led to her murder.

Author Bio

Jessica Fletcher is a bestselling mystery writer who has a knack for stumbling upon real-life mysteries in her various travels.

Terrie Farley Moran is the bestselling author of the Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series, including the Agatha Award-winning Well Read, Then Dead. Along with Jessica Fletcher, she co-writes the Murder She Wrote mystery series. She also co-writes the Scrapbooking Mysteries with Laura Childs. Terrie’s short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and numerous anthologies. “A Killing at the Beausoleil” was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Short Story. “Inquiry and Assistance” received the Derringer Award for Best Novelette.

Author Links – Webpage, Facebook 

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse – 

Giveaway

Book Review and Giveaway - A Murder and Maggie MacGill by Rebecca Lee Smith

My Review

Maggie MacGill lives in a small town in Tennessee, painting seascapes and teaching elementary art.  When an unlikable older woman in town dies mysteriously, leaving Maggie her fortune, her life changes.  She finds herself - and her family - in danger, and so she works to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read A Murder and Maggie MacGill because the Tennessee setting and art teacher protagonist appealed to me.  This is my first read by Rebecca Lee Smith and it is a standalone mystery.

This mystery was an absolute delight!  It is a cozy mystery with elements of women's fiction and a fresh, sassy voice.  It was a very fast read for me because I read in all my free time over a couple of days ... I wanted to see what happened next!  A sample of the authorial voice:

"Dust motes floated in the air like glitter. The whole thing felt surreal and romantic, like a scene from a Hallmark movie without the fake snow and the gay leading man."  (eBook location 67)

I really like Maggie.  She is creative, loyal to her family (dad Les and brother Jesse), and she cares about the kids she teaches.  She meets her high school antagonist, Eli, by surprise early on and sparks unexpectedly fly.  She wonders, though, if she can trust him and be vulnerable with him.  Their friendship/possible romance is a big part of the story.

The mystery aspect of this book was well done.  There were a number of strong suspects.  I figured the answer and enjoyed Maggie solving the mystery as well.

The only thing I didn't like about A Murder and Maggie MacGill is that it isn't the start of a series!  I would love to read more featuring these characters.  I enthusiastically recommend this book for other cozy mystery fans.

Book Synopsis

When elementary art teacher Maggie MacGill finds the richest, most despised woman in town dead, then inherits her estate, life in the sweet mountain town of Wrenhaven, Tennessee, takes a greased ride downhill.

No one knows why Mrs. Grayson left her fortune to Maggie, but once her death begins to look like murder, and a series of unexplained pranks directed at the MacGill family turn nasty, Maggie must untangle a web of secrets and discover who has it in for her before it’s too late. Even if it means accepting help from the victim’s grandson, a man she’s loathed since high school but whose devastating grin and quick wit can still make her heart race.

Author Bio

Rebecca lives with her husband and a dog named Wilbur in the beautiful, misty mountains of East Tennessee, where the people are charming, soulful, and just a little bit crazy. She’s been everything from a tax collector to a stay-at-home-mom to a professional actor and director. She loves to travel the world but her Southern roots and the affectionate appreciation she has for the rural towns she lives near inspire the settings and characters she writes about.

Author Links

Website http://www.rebeccaleesmith.com

Facebook: (Rebecca Lee Smith): http://bit.ly/4lykxcF

Twitter/X: (Rebecca Lee Smith): https://x.com/rbeccaleesmith

Bluesky: http://bit.ly/467y7ih

Author Central on Amazon:  https://bit.ly/4lapGr3

Purchase Links –   Amazon​      Barnes & Noble      Kobo

Giveaway 

Book Review and Giveaway - Without a Shadow of Doubt: An Olivia Penn Mystery by Kathleen Bailey

My Review

During the Highland Games in the small town of Apple Station, Virginia, Olivia Penn gets involved with solving another murder.  An older neighbor dies, Olivia receives a strange text message from a friend, and there is a missing cat ... and some Scottish family history.

I wanted to read Without a Shadow of a Doubt because I have enjoyed earlier books in the Olivia Penn mystery series.  

This was another great mystery with Olivia.  There is so much I enjoy about this series:  Olivia's sweet relationship with her father, the pets (beagle Buddy and cat Willow), her romance with police officer Preston.

There are a number of suspects in this mystery and it made the sleuthing especially interesting!  I enjoyed following along with Olivia as she worked diligently to solve the mystery.  

I really enjoy the Olivia Penn series and look forward to the next book already!  I recommend Without a Shadow of a Doubt for other cozy mystery fans.

Book Synopsis

Find the cat. Crack the case.

The Highland Games have arrived just outside Apple Station, Virginia, bringing bagpipes, kilts, and a tide of tartan-clad tourists to the cozy small town. Advice columnist Olivia Penn is ready for a weekend of fun now that her life has finally settled into a quiet, steady rhythm. But when a local turns up dead in one of the town’s most iconic homes, a cryptic message from a friend draws her into a tangled mystery.

As Olivia investigates, family secrets and surprising motives surface, linking three brooches, an antique cross, and a 17th-century Scottish Bible. Clues connect seven suspects to the crime, and each has something to hide. When her friend can’t be found and the police start asking questions, the mystery hits closer to home and runs deeper than she ever imagined.

After an unlikely witness makes a shocking revelation, Olivia enlists her friends and a heroic search and rescue golden retriever to help her follow the trail before it goes cold. The man she loves is caught in the crosshairs, and to protect him, she’ll have to risk everything. Justice hinges on a missing cat, a chase through the woods, and a stare-down with a mama bear.

Without a Shadow of Doubt is the gripping fifth installment in the award-winning Olivia Penn Mystery Series. This fast-paced, heartwarming cozy mystery features charming characters, small-town intrigue, and a heroine you’ll love to root for. Perfect for fans of amateur sleuths, cozy suspense, and clean, feel-good mysteries with lovable cats and dogs.

Author Bio

Kathleen Bailey is the award-winning author of The Olivia Penn Mystery Series. She writes mysteries with heart and humor that keep to the traditional and cozy sides of crime. For over twenty years, she worked as a pediatric physical therapist with children who have special needs, drawing on degrees in English, psychology, and physical therapy. She now writes in Virginia with her feline assistant, who insists on supervising every draft. When she’s not writing, Kathleen can usually be found covered in cat hair, surrounded by far too many sticky notes, and plotting new twists to keep readers guessing. She is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

Website: https://kathleenbaileyauthor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozycrimewriter/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kathleen-bailey

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/kathleenbailey

Purchase Links:

Amazon   All Retailers

Giveaway