Book Review and Giveaway - When the Carnival Came: An Olivia Penn Mystery by Kathleen Bailey

My Review

Olivia Penn is happy with small town life in Apple Station, Virginia.  However, when a good friend is dangerously close to a murder, she works to help her - even though this may cause waves with her new boyfriend, who is on the police force. Olivia's amateur sleuthing takes her to working undercover as a reporter at a carnival.

I wanted to read When the Carnival Came because I read and enjoyed the last book in this series.  I also found the carnival setting intriguing!

The carnival details were indeed fascinating;  this novel gives a glimpse of everyday life in a small traveling carnival.

I really like Olivia as a detective - she's very smart, although she puts herself in a dangerous position at times on this case!  I also like her father, her boyfriend Preston, and the small town of Apple Station.

I am so happy to have discovered the Olivia Penn Mystery Series and look forward to reading further.  I recommend When the Carnival Came for cozy mystery fans who want to read an exciting mystery and who are interested in small town settings and a carnival atmosphere.

Book Synopsis

A mysterious murder at an abandoned military base. A carnival has rolled into town. The shocking connection forces her to choose between a dear friend and her new love.

Spring is blooming in Apple Station, Virginia, and Olivia Penn’s new romance is heating up. With love in the air and the carnival in town, life seems picture-perfect—until a stranger arrives at her door with carnations and a cryptic message for her friend.

When Olivia follows the trail and finds her friend standing over a dead body, she discovers there’s more to the carnival than just fun and games. Compelled to keep an impossible secret from both her new love and the police, Olivia is recruited to go undercover and investigate who among the quirky carnival crew had a motive for murder.

In a race to protect her friend and solve the crime, she must trust a man she never expected to see again. Together, they execute a daring plan to bring a killer to justice and save the lives of thirty very precious, valuable feathered friends.

With the killer on the verge of vanishing without a trace, justice—and her life—hinge on quick thinking and a bold move. Will she and her new love survive to see another day?

When the Carnival Came is the fourth book in the award-winning The Olivia Penn Mystery Series. When the Carnival Came is a small-town, cozy mystery brimming with heart and humor, featuring a charming cast of characters and a fast-paced, twisty plot. Action-packed and full of suspense, this clean, cozy thrill ride will keep you on the edge of your seat.

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. Kathleen has degrees in English, psychology, and physical therapy. She previously worked as a pediatric physical therapist for over twenty years with children who have special needs. She now spends her days plotting and sleuthing in Virginia where she lives with her husband and adorable feline fur baby. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the James River Writers. Visit online at www.kathleenbaileyauthor.com.

Author Links

Website: https://kathleenbaileyauthor.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kathleenbailey

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

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

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org – Alibris 

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Book Review - A Corpse Among the Carolers (A Food Blogger Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

My Review

At the Jingle Bell Stroll, Hope Early finds that the man playing Santa Claus has been stabbed.  She works to solve the mystery but finds there are a number of viable suspects.  

I wanted to read A Corpse Among the Carolers because I love cozy mysteries.  I especially like holiday mysteries and foodie books.  

I really liked the holiday setting and the details of Hope's food blogging.  (I would have enjoyed even more of those!)

The mystery aspect of the storytelling was well done, with lots going on and leads that could go in several different directions ... which gave this mystery some twists and turns.

I enjoyed A Corpse Among the Carolers and look forward to reading the next book in the Food Blogger Mystery series as well!  Recommended for other cozy fans.

Book Synopsis

Hope Early is fully immersed in the spirit of the Christmas season, until the sounds of joyful carolers are silenced by the words “Ho-ho-homicide” . . .

Food blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh from knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive. But in spite of everything she has to do, the one thing she always has time for is the annual Jingle Bell Stroll, a night when the community gathers to sing their hearts out and enjoy each other’s company. This year’s caroling feels especially heartwarming, until the final note lands with a thud when Hope finds the body of the man who’d volunteered to play Santa, a knife plunged into his back.

With virtually the whole town present at the caroling, the list of suspects seems endless. It doesn’t take long, though, for both Hope and the police to turn a sharp eye on the victim’s bitter and vindictive ex-wife, along with his new wife, who may have been after his money. Then Hope unearths a clue that suggests the dead man may have been hiding a sordid past and connections to unseemly characters. But as she closes in on the killer, they’re determined to wring her neck before she can ring in the new year . . .

Includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes!

Author Bio

Debra Sennefelder is the acclaimed author of charming and suspenseful cozy mysteries set in small towns filled with intriguing characters and delightful pets. Based in Connecticut, Debra shares her home with her family and a lovable, slightly spoiled Shih Tzu. Her passion for mystery fiction, particularly cozy mysteries, inspires her to create engaging stories that blend crime-solving with delicious recipes and stylish fashion. She is the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series, and the Cookie Shop Mystery series. When she’s not plotting her next whodunit, you’ll find her baking sweet treats or indulging in a good book.

When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her writing companion, Connie.She can be reached at Debra@DebraSennefelder.com

Author Links

Newsletter – http://bit.ly/2jBx9oV

Facebook Author Page – http://bit.ly/2ASJVDr

Website – http://bit.ly/2lQwSNi

Instagram – http://bit.ly/2EQh6da

Bookbub – http://bit.ly/3TL0vgc

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Amazon – https://amzn.to/2CcLsHw

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

Book Review - The Blooming of Delphinium by Holly Varni

My Review

Delphinium Hayes owns a florist shop in the small town of Moonberry Lake, Minnesota.  Delphinium has a special gift; she can detect a floral scent from everyone she meets.  This lets her know what they are really like.  When a group of elderly men from a nearby assisted living start playing poker in her walk-in refrigerator, she works with the assisted living director, Elliot Sturgis, to find a solution.  This being Moonberry Lake, there are little surprises and romance.

I wanted to read this book because I absolutely loved On Moonberry Lake.  It made my top 10 reads list last year, and I couldn't wait to spend more time in this fictional world.

The Blooming of Delphinium is delightful!  Delphinium is a wonderful protagonist.  I enjoyed her gift for - quite literally - sniffing out what is good or bad in people, her work at the florist, and her interactions with Eliot.  

I also enjoyed the elderly people in this book - they are treasures!  And I still love the town of Moonberry Lake.

I enthusiastically recommend The Blooming of Delphinium and the Moonberry Lake series for fans of women's fiction and charming small town settings.

Book Synopsis

Making the perfect match is like arranging the perfect bouquet--and no one is better at it than Delphinium Hayes. Except when it comes to making a match for herself.

As far as hidden talents go, she is blessed with one of the more unique ones. With the slightest passing whiff, she knows someone's most admirable or weediest characteristic. This peculiar perception never fails to give her an advantage in understanding people--except for one man, whose scent doesn't seem to match his demeanor.

Prim and proper Elliot Sturgis, director of Moonberry Lake's Gardens Assisted Living and Senior Care Facility, carries the scent of violets--meaning love and loyalty--yet is strict and unwavering in his determination to stop a group of his wily residents from sneaking over to Delphinium's shop to play cards in the flower cooler. But the more glimpses Delphinium gets of the soft side beyond Elliot's harsh exterior, the more she understands his scent--and her intrigue deepens as sparks fly.

The crowd in her cooler isn't Delphinium's only problem. Behind on the mortgage payments and on the verge of losing her shop to foreclosure, Delphinium isn't sure where to turn for help. But God has a funny way of putting the right people in the place at the right time . . .

Author Bio

Holly Varni is the author of On Moonberry Lake. A native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, she was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Though she, her husband, and their three sons live along the Central Coast of California, her beloved Midwest roots continue to haunt everything she writes. She hosts the Moments from Moonberry Lake podcast, where she shares more stories of her beloved characters. Learn more at HollyVarni.com.

Book Review and Giveaway: Caught on Camera: A Camera Club Mystery by Kara Lacey

My Review

Photographer Bobbie Brooks has been in Stonebridge, Vermont for a year, since her husband died suddenly.  She's settling in, spending time with her sister, working on her photography, and being part of a new camera club.  At the first meeting, one of the members doesn't show up, and Bobbie finds her body on a photography walk.  She decides to work to solve the mystery with the help of the camera club.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries, am interested in photography, and I will admit, the cover is very appealing.  I love mysteries that feature a dog or cat, and Darcy, Bobbie's dog, is front and center on the cover!

This is the first book in a new series and I am already looking forward to reading the future books!  I really like Bobbie.  She's smart and her photographer's eye turns out to be a real help in solving the mystery.

The mystery is well paced, the clues are plentiful, and there are several good suspects for Bobbie to investigate.

I found the photography details in the book interesting and they added a lot to the storytelling for me.

I also enjoyed the small town of Stonebridge and the friends and acquaintances Bobbie makes there.

I recommend Caught on Camera for other cozy readers, and especially for anyone who also has an interest in photography.

Book Synopsis

Blue skies and wildflowers signal the start of summer in southern Vermont, and the Stonebridge Keep it Snappy Camera Club lenses are zoomed in on…murder.

It’s been more than a year since the sudden death of her husband, and photographer Bobbie Brooks wants nothing more than to escape her grief. Fleeing her life in the city, she seeks a fresh start in the serenity of the Green Mountains. But Bobbie’s new beginning comes to a halt when she finds a member of her camera club dead beneath the village’s idyllic covered bridge. Tragic accident or something sinister? With a keen photographer’s eye, Bobbie suspects murder.

As if transitioning to small-town life wasn’t challenging enough, Bobbie’s missing scarf is found at the murder scene, making her the primary focus. Scorned by local gossips, she enlists the help of her camera club and shifts her lens from photographer to amateur sleuth. Using photos found on the victim’s camera, they waste no time setting out to catch the killer—and discover no shortage of suspects. Secrets, lies, and blackmail…Danger abounds as they close in on the killer.

Her camera holds the answers… But can she develop the clues in time to stop the killer?

Author Bio

Kara Lacey is the author of the Camera Club Mysteries. Along with her husband, she lives in a tiny village nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont—the inspiration for her novels. Kara is a photography enthusiast who also enjoys hiking, skiing, and getting cozy with a good book. When she’s not at her laptop creating havoc for her characters, you can find her rambling through the forest with her husband and spirited Labrador retriever, camera in hand.Kara is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime-New England, and Mystery Writers of America. She is also a co-Member at Large for Vermont SinC NE writers.

Click the link below to get your copy of “Taste of Stonebridge”:   

https://pr.bookfunnel.com/grgtlaq

Author Links
Instagram https://instagram.com/karalaceyauthor   Facebook https://facebook.com/karalaceyauthor Website https://karalaceyauthor.com

Purchase Link – Amazon

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Book Review and Giveaway - Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn: An Ariadne Winter Mystery by Ellen Butler

My Review

Ink and Intrigue at the Ivy Tree Inn is a cozy mystery set in 1958.  Ariadne Winter, a writer for Ladies' Lifestyle Magazine, is on a light story assignment when she discovers a body and decides to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read this novel because I love cozy mysteries, enjoy Mid-Century settings, and found the premise unique and interesting.

This is a wonderful start for a new series!  I enjoyed the 1958 setting.  Ariadne has extra challenges as a woman working during this time period as a writer and also as a sleuth.  

The mystery is well paced with several twists.  I enjoyed it, and look forward to future books in this series.  I recommend Ink and Intrigue at the Ivy Tree Inn for other cozy fans, and especially for readers who also enjoy historical mysteries.

Book Synopsis

Stumbling across a dead body could be the making … or breaking of an aspiring reporter.

During 1958, when the workforce is predominantly male, societal norms dictate women should be compliant, fashionable housewives. To Ariadne Winter, the sole tradition she aims to embrace is that of being fashionable. Amidst the ambiance of Ivy Tree Inn, where she’s been dispatched as a writer for Ladies’ Lifestyle Magazine, her focus wavers as she grapples with an interview assignment concerning a Hollywood starlet on the cusp of royal matrimony—an event hailed as the “Wedding of the Century.” While Ariadne dutifully attends to her task, her heart yearns for the pursuit of her collegiate ambition: to be an investigative reporter for a renowned newspaper.

However, fate intervenes when she discovers a dead body and recognizes the opportunity it presents to write her way into the role she desires. Yet, as Ariadne delves deeper into the lives of the inn’s inhabitants, she uncovers a labyrinth of intertwined relationships and long-buried secrets among guests and staff alike, yielding a plethora of suspects. With a murderer on the loose, her magazine deadline looming, and the inn cordoned off by authorities, Ariadne faces a race against time to untangle the web of deceit and solve the murder before she loses more than just her job.

Author Bio

Ellen Butler is the international bestselling author of the Karina Cardinal mystery series. Her experiences working on Capitol Hill and at a medical association in Washington, D.C. inspired the mystery-action series. Multiple books in the series have hit #1 on Amazon bestseller lists in the US and abroad. Book critics call the Karina Cardinal mysteries, “intelligent escapism.” Butler is also the author of the award-winning historical suspense novel, The Brass Compass. The Brass Compass has won multiple awards for historical fiction including: 2022 Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Award, 2018 Indie Reader Discovery Award, 2019 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Winner. Butler started writing in the romance genre and won the The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award 2015 with her novel Planning for Love. Her 12th book Operation Blackbird, a Cold War Spy novel, was published in October 2022 and won a Next Generation Indie Book Award gold medal for historical fiction.

Serving Up Suspense with Style
Ellenbutler.net  Instagram  Facebook 

Purchase Link – Amazon – 

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Book Review and Giveaway - Murder on the Page (A Literary Dining Mystery) by Daryl Wood Gerber

My Review

Allie Cat is a chef in Asheville who puts together literary theme parties.  When her best friend's aunt is murdered in the bookstore she owns, Allie works to solve the mystery.

I wanted to read Murder on the Page because I love Daryl Wood Gerber's Fairy Garden and Cookbook Nook series.  I love classic literature and foodie books, so I am definitely the target audience for this cozy mystery!

This is such a fun cozy mystery.  I so enjoyed Allie's love of both literature and cooking!  The book references were great and added a lot of enjoyment to the storytelling.

I really like Allie, her friend Tegan, and the other characters in this book, and look forward to reading about more of their adventures in future books in this series.  

The mystery was well paced and well developed and it kept me guessing!  I enjoyed Allie's skills as an amateur detective.

Murder on the Page has three features I absolutely love in a mystery:  a cast of characters, a map of the town, and recipes for foods mentioned in the book.

Five enthusiastic stars from me for Murder on the Page!  I recommend this book for other cozy mystery fans, and especially for anyone who loves literary references and foodie details.

Book Synopsis

Featuring twin hooks that cozy readers can’t get enough of—classic books and delicious food—this new series from the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of several much loved series, including the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the French Bistro Mysteries, is a delicious treat for mystery lovers, especially fans of Ellery Adams, Krista Davis, and Lauren Elliott.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients’ favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie’s cat, Darcy, approves), and it’s so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette’s Feast and more.

Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there’s a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie’s clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim’s sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend’s innocence, but how to prove it?

Once again, her love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues.With a little luck—and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud—she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder . . .

Author Bio

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense including the well-received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams suspense novels. Recently Daryl, who loves a challenge, published a Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays.  Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. You can learn more on her website: httsp://darylwoodgerber.com

Author Links

WEBSITE: https://darylwoodgerber.com

FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/darylwoodgerber

BOOKBUB: https://bookbub.com/authors/daryl-wood-gerber

YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/woodgerb1

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/darylwoodgerber

GOODREADS: https://goodreads.com/darylwoodgerber

TIKTOK: www.tiktok.com/@daryl_wood_gerber

AMAZON: https://bit.ly/Daryl_Wood_Gerber_page

NEWSLETTER: https://darylwoodgerber.com/contact-media/

Purchase Links 

AMAZON    BARNES AND NOBLE     BOOKSHOP.ORG    KOBO      MYSTERIOUS GALAXY

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Review and Giveaway - Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas by Jessica Fletcher & Terrie Farley Moran

My Review

When a wealthy business tycoon wants to buy an old Cabot Cove homestead, things spiral out of control.  First one of the owners who was presumed dead shows up alive.  Then the tycoon's wife is murdered.  Jessica Fletcher steps in to solve the case.

I wanted to read Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas because I love the Murder She Wrote series of cozy mysteries.  This book has the plus of having a Christmas setting!

I have read several recent Murder, She Wrote books set in different locales but the books set in Cabot Cove are always my favorites.  This series is a true comfort read for me;  I love the town, the townspeople, and, of course, Jessica Fletcher's detective skills.

This was a well written, quick paced mystery, and such an enjoyable read.  I recommend Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas for other fans of cozy mysteries, Christmas mysteries, and of course for anyone who loves the Murder, She Wrote series.

Book Synopsis

It’s Christmastime in Cabot Cove, but there’s more homicide than ho-ho-ho in the newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series.

Christmas is not an easy time to sell a house, but in Boston tycoon John Bragdon, Cabot Cove Realtor Eve Simpson has found a buyer for the old Jarvis homestead. Unfortunately, Eve gets a lump of coal in her stocking in the form of Kenny Jarvis, who has been missing for years and presumed dead but has now come back to stop his sister from selling their childhood home.

Eve presses on, organizing a welcome dinner for Bragdon and his wife, Rose Marie, to meet the leading citizens of the town, including Jessica Fletcher. Dinner is interrupted by an uninvited guest—not Santa but Kenny, who threateningly promises Rose Marie she will never live in his house.

When Rose Marie is found dead a few days later, Kenny is the natural suspect. But Jessica isn′t so sure he′s on the naughty list . . .

Author Bio

Along with Jessica Fletcher, Terrie Farley Moran co-writes the Murder She Wrote mystery series including  Murder, She Wrote: Killer on the Court. She is the author of the Read ‘Em and Eat cozy mystery series and also co-writes the Scrapbooking Mysteries with Laura Childs. Recipient of both the Agatha and the Derringer Awards, Moran has published numerous mystery short stories. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren.

Author Links – Webpage   Facebook 

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

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Book Review - The Christmas Tree Farm, A Christmas Novella by Melody Carlson

My Review

Madison McDowell comes home from teaching abroad to work on her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon. She is part owner of the farm with her sister Addie.  She doesn't count on Addie wanting to sell the farm, or her first love, Gavin, being widowed and living next door with his youngest daughter.

I wanted to read The Christmas Tree Farm because I love Melody Carlson's Christmas novels.  I try to read them each year.

This novel was one of my favorite of Ms. Carlson's recent Christmas books.  I loved the setting of the Christmas tree farm and the old fashioned house there.  

I also really liked the cast of characters - especially Madison, who loves working outdoors and is determined to make the Christmas tree farm a community fixture again.  I also liked Gavin, who is sweet and a bit eccentric (he lives in a trailer by the lake while building a house).  His daughter Lily, an 11 year old dirt bike enthusiast, is delightful.  Part of the conflict early on is based on Gavin and Lily building a dirt bike track on their property - right next door to the Christmas tree farm.

I highly recommend The Christmas Tree Farm for fans of Christmas reads, picturesque holiday settings, and heartwarming storytelling!

Book Synopsis

Christmas is the perfect time for old memories, new beginnings, and second chances

When Madison McDowell returns from teaching overseas, she has high hopes of picking up where she left off at her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon. But between damage from a recent wildfire and the neglect due to her sister Addie's unwillingness to invest, the farm is in sad shape. In fact, Addie is intent on selling the property. And to top it off, Madison's former high school flame, the now-widowed Gavin Thompson, has plans to break her heart again by turning his neighboring property into a dusty, noisy dirt bike track for his daughter.

With the odds stacked against her, Madison decides there's only one thing to do: double down on her dreams. It will require a ton of hard work--and some help from an unlikely ally--to save the farm she so dearly loves. But it may take a Christmas miracle to restore her relationship with her sister.

Author Bio

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than 250 books with sales of more than 7.5 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, her novel All Summer Long has been made into a Hallmark movie, and the movie based on her novel The Happy Camper premiered on UPtv in 2023. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at MelodyCarlson.com.

Book Review - Meddling with Mistletoe A Red Door Inn Christmas Romance by Liz Johnson

My Review

Meddling With Mistletoe is the story of Whitney Garrett, who is baking homemade pies to fund her culinary school tuition.  When her oven breaks, she works out a deal with the owners of the local bed and breakfast to bake pies there in exchange for babysitting and cooking breakfasts daily.  While working at the inn she meets a guest named Daniel, who is in town to visit his aunt -- who is an eccentric antique shop owner determined to make a match between Daniel and Ruby, the woman buying his aunt's antique store.  Whitney is convinced, though, that Daniel and Ruby are not an ideal match . . . and she has an idea of a better match for him.

I wanted to read this novel because it sounded like a Hallmark movie in book form.  It is!   It is a delightful Christmas story, with lots of holiday atmosphere.

I liked Whitney as a protagonist and admire her determination to pursue her dream.  I also like Daniel and I thought from early on that they would be an interesting match.  Their story is very heartwarming with some light faith references.

I recommend Meddling for Mistletoe for readers who enjoy Christmas reads, heartwarming love stories, and cozy settings.

Book Synopsis

The recipe for romance is simple: sweets, treats, and mistletoe meets

Whitney Garrett is preparing to enter culinary school in the spring, but first she has to sell enough homemade pies at the local Christmas markets to pay her tuition. When her oven breaks, Whitney asks Marie Sloan, proprietor of the Red Door Inn, if she can use the inn's kitchen to keep up with her orders. Marie agrees, with a catch: Whitney has to watch the three Sloan children and cook breakfasts for the Red Door in return.

The inn is busy with holiday guests--including Aretha Franklin Sloan's perpetually single nephew Daniel and Ruby, a businesswoman in town to purchase Aretha's antiques store. Intent on making a Christmas match for the two, Aretha enlists Whitney's help in her schemes. But the deeper Whitney gets, the more she realizes that Ruby is not the right woman for Daniel--and the more she thinks that she just might be his perfect match.

Author Bio

Liz Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including Beyond the Tides, The Last Way Home, and Summer in the Spotlight, as well as the Georgia Coast Romance and Prince Edward Island Dreams series. She works in marketing, makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona, and daydreams of summer days on PEI's shores. Learn more at LizJohnsonBooks.com.

Book Review and Giveaway - Halloween Parade Peril: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery) by Victoria Tait

My Review

Halloween Parade Peril is a cozy mystery featuring Dotty Sayers, an antique expert who often travels with her work.  She is in Dublin to attend a prestigious auction and purchase antiques for a castle that is being converted into a hotel.  When she witnesses a murder at a Halloween parade, she becomes involved in sleuthing, especially since she knows some of the suspects.

I wanted to read Halloween Parade Peril because I love this series of mysteries.  I find the antique details fascinating!  The Halloween theme and Dublin settings were also intriguing.

I read this novel over two days because I couldn't put it down.  If I had a spare moment, I was reading!   I loved the details of the auction (so many fascinating antique details in this mystery!) and the Irish folklore featured through the book.

There were several plausible suspects, and I didn't guess the real murderer until the case was solved.  Like the other books in this series, the mystery was well plotted and the short chapters make this a fast paced read.

I enthusiastically recommend Halloween Parade Peril for other fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for anyone interested in antiques.

Book Synopsis

A spooky spectacle turns deadly when a singer’s voice is silenced forever. Does an amateur sleuth have the ghost of a chance to unmask the killer before the jack-o’-lantern’s candle is snuffed out?

Emerging antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is excited about traveling to Ireland for a prestigious auction. Alongside her friend, Sergeant Keya Varma, Dotty revels in Dublin’s iconic sights and finds herself spellbound by haunting melodies at the Bram Stoker Festival. But a Halloween parade turns tragic when a musician’s last melody leads to his final breath.With the police operating a skeleton crew, Keya expresses grave concerns while Dotty carves up excitement at the auction, bidding for a pumpkin full of Irish treasures. But when one of their friends ends up behind bars and another confesses to the crime, this duo of detectives realises the witching hour is near.

Can Dotty piece the eerie puzzle together and unveil the villain before the plot thickens like a witch’s potion?

Join Dotty and her friends in Dublin for the latest instalment of the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series. If a cauldron of quirky characters, bewitching puzzles, and enchanting Irish folklore is what you crave, then Victoria Tait’s spellbinding narrative will keep you captivated until the final page.

Make no bones about it – read Halloween Parade Peril today!

Author Bio

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, and never expected to travel the world. She’s drawn on her life’s experiences of following her military husband, and a love of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder She Wrote, to write British-based cozy mysteries.Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative.  As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world of intrigue, surprises, and humour, as well as a delectable helping of mystery, because tea and intrigue are a perfect blend.

Author Links

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Purchase Links

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Book Review and Giveaway - French Quarter Fright Night (Vintage Cookbook) by Ellen Byron

My Review

Ricki James-Diaz is enjoying life in New Orleans, working in the little vintage cookbook shop she owns (located in the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum), and preparing for Halloween at the museum shop.  When an old acquaintance of her husband who is a famous actor comes to town and situates himself next door to the museum, things begin to go bad.  Blaine Taggart has an exceptionally difficult assistant named Miranda.  Miranda is found dead in a Halloween display, and Ricki is determined to find the killer.

I wanted to read French Quarter Fright Night because I enjoy Ellen Byron's cozy mysteries, and especially love the Vintage Cookbook series.  I collect vintage cookbooks and also sell them online, so I love the little vintage cookbook/cookware details in these books.  I also enjoy the New Orleans setting!

I think this is my favorite of the series so far.  The Halloween setting added a lot to the atmosphere.  The staff at Bon Vee has become a tight group of friends, as well as colleagues, at this point and they all want to have this murder solved.  It was fun watching their progress on the mystery along with the Halloween festivities at the museum.

There were a number of good suspects for this murder, and I enjoyed Ricki's sleuthing.  This is a fast paced mystery with some snappy dialogue and little touches of humor.  

Of course, I also loved details about Ricki's shop, like:

"After placing bids on a handful of cookbooks being sold via an online auction, Ricki went through every bookshelf to confirm each cookbook was in its proper place. She organized them first by decade, then type, followed by theme. She found a couple of 1960s community cookbooks on the 1950s hardcover shelf. One featured appetizer recipes, the other was all about fondues. She moved them to their proper locations. ‘I have more cookbooks from the 1960s than any other decade,’ she said to Red, the only other shop occupant. ‘That’s my new go-to destination if anyone ever invents a time tunnel.’" (eBook location 927).

I highly recommend French Quarter Fright Night for other fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for readers who have an interest in New Orleans or vintage cookbooks.

Book Synopsis

The third in the fabulous cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron.

Welcome to the Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear! Prepare for the spookiest night of your life . . .

It’s Halloween in New Orleans, and the staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is setting up a fantastic haunted house tour for their visitors. But when flashy movie star Blaine Taggart and his entourage move into the mansion next door, gift shop proprietor Ricki James-Diaz gets a fright of her own.

While Ricki is excited about the potential business the tours will bring to her vintage cookbook shop, she’s less thrilled by former friend Blaine’s arrival in town. Then Bon Vee’s prop tomb becomes a real tomb for Blaine’s nasty assistant, and suddenly everyone at Bon Vee is a murder suspect. There isn’t a ghost of a chance one of them committed the crime, but with NOPD busy tackling the mischief and mayhem generated by the spooky holiday, it falls on Ricki and her friends to catch the killer.

As the Big Easy gears up for the Big Scary, it seems everyone has skeletons in their closets. Can Ricki reveal the shadowy killer before someone else becomes part of the Halloween horror show?

Author Bio

Ellen Byron is a USA Today bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, and Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico). Her new series, The Golden Motel Mysteries, recently debuted. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. Visit her at Cozy Mysteries | Ellen Byron | Author

Author Links 

Newsletter:   https://www.ellenbyron.com/

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

Bookbub:   https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron

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