Book Review and Giveaway - Teddy Bears and Ghostly Lairs: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner

My Review

Teddy Bears and Ghostly Lairs features Jules Keene as the owner of a glamping campground with vintage trailers, tiny houses, and traditional campsites.  Her little town in the Blue Ridge Mountains is buzzing with excitement about a Teddy Bear and Toy Extravaganza, with a street fair and many vintage booths.  The campground is booked, including a group of paranormal investigators.  When Jules and Jake go out with the group to an abandoned (and supposedly haunted) motel, they find a body.  

I wanted to read this book because of the vintage campers and glamping aspect of the story.  It turned out to be even more suited to me than anticipated:  vintage campers, tiny houses, glamping themes involving classic children's books, mentions of vintage toys (including Steiff bears and even a mention of Dawn Dolls!), and a lovable Jack Russell Terrier named Bijou.  Seriously, I am the target audience for this book!

The mystery aspect of this story worked well, with just the right amount of twists.  I really like Jules as an amateur detective too.

I would recommend Teddy Bears and Ghostly Lairs for cozy mystery readers who have an interesting in glamping.  It's a really fun read!

Book Synopsis

The town of Fern Valley, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has overdosed on cuteness for its first teddy bear and toy festival. Adorable bears have taken over every inch of the town, and Jules Keene can barely keep up with all the guest check-ins at her glamping resort. To add to the fun, a team of paranormal investigators set their sights on her vintage trailers and the new treehouse as they investigate the local haunts.

It quickly becomes evident that things aren’t all sweet and cuddly when someone absconds with collectible toys. Then, to make matters worse, Jules and her friends trip over something not so other-worldly at an abandoned motel during a paranormal investigation. The very real corpse is the prickly vendor who raised a ruckus about his stolen merchandise and the weird things that were afoot in the cozy, one-stop light town.

Jules has to calm frayed nerves and solve the mystery before there are any other thefts or grisly murders.

Author Bio

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, Murder by the Glass, First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, and Crime in the Old Dominion, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime: National, Central Virginia, Chessie, Guppies, and Grand Canyon Writers, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers, and she blogs regularly with the Writers Who Kill.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a crazy Mini Aussie Shepherd named Cooper.

Author Links

• Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@heather_mystery_writer
• BlueSky: Heather Weidner (@heatherweidner.bsky.social) — Bluesky
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heather_weidner_author
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner
• Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HeatherBWeidner/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-weidner-0064b233?trk=hp-identity-name
• BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyBjyB0zz-M1DaM-rU1bXGA?view_as=subscriber
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1
• Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org  

Giveaway 

Book Review and Giveaway - Critters and Crimes: Magical Cozy Mystery Book Club by Elizabeth Pantley

My Review

Paige Erickson lives at the Snapdragon Inn in Colorado with her cat Frank.  They belong to a mystery book club, and the club is a magical one that can travel into a cozy mystery together ... but can't return until they solve the book's mystery.

I had not read the earlier books in this series but quickly caught up with characters.  Critters and Crimes makes a good standalone mystery.

I wanted to read this book because the animals featured in the cover and description were appealing - and I liked the magical element.  It was such a fun and utterly unique read!  I loved the importance of animals in the story (Frank, of course, being my favorite).

I recommend Critters and Crimes for other cozy mystery fans - especially for animal lovers and for anyone who enjoys a light magical story.

Book Synopsis

A quaint riverside town holds many secrets … and the only ones who’ve seen it all are the critters.

This book club dives (literally!) into the pages of a cozy mystery. The quirky group must solve the mystery to get out of the book. It’s so much fun – you’ll wish you had a book club like this!

In this journey, they choose a book set in a lovely riverside town. They land in a charming neighborhood and find they are part of a local book club. They are having a great time – and then a dead body shows up. (Of course it does!)

The clues to what happened come to them in a unique way – via the critters in the house.

As usual, the club finds plenty of time to enjoy the unique setting of their journey, as they solve the mystery – one critter at a time.

Author Bio

Elizabeth writes well-loved cozy mysteries in two series: The Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest and Arizona, two very different places. Both are rich, gorgeous, natural places, and inspire the settings in many of her  books.

Author Links

Website – https://elizabethpantleyauthor.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DestinyFallsMysteryandMagic

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

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/series/345907-magical-mystery-book-club

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-pantley

Purchase Link: Amazon

Giveaway