Friday, February 13, 2026

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 CabernetDeadly 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

Giveaway 


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