Book Review and Giveaway - Thanks for Muffin: A Merry Muffin Mystery by Victoria Hamilton

My Review

Merry Wynter is opening her inherited castle as a performing arts center.  After the lavish opening celebration, one of the guests is discovered dead.  There have been previous problems with murders there, so she is determined to help solve this mystery and save the castle’s reputation.

I wanted to read Thanks for Muffin because I love cozy mysteries.  The castle setting was intriguing, and I was interested in the baking aspect of the story.

This is my first read in the series.  I greatly appreciated the cast of characters list and referred to it several times.  The mystery was different than I anticipated, but not in a bad way.  I thought it would be a cozy with a good deal of baking, given the book title.  There was less baking than I expected, and this was more a classic mystery - with a cast of characters that would make Agatha Christie proud.

There were many characters in this book - performers, their hangers-on, and towns people.  As a result there were a number of viable suspects, which made this a challenging mystery for Merry, and a very interesting reading.

I recommend Thanks for Muffin for fans of cozy mysteries that harken back to old fashioned classic mysteries.  It was a fun read!  

Book Synopsis

When Merry Wynter’s festive gala takes a fatal turn, she’ll have to grill her guests to catch a killer . . .

After years of planning and hard work, Merry Wynter was finally ready to host the grand opening gala of the Wynter Woods Center for the Performing Arts. With musicians, entertainers, members of the media and even influencers on the guest list, the event went off without a hitch—until a particularly nasty journalist posted a criticism of the gala and everything Merry was trying to accomplish. Still reeling from the review days later, Merry wasn’t sure what to feel when she discovered the reporter’s dead body on the grounds of Wynter Castle.

With many of her guests staying on at the castle for the weekend, Merry realizes they’ve got a murderer in their midst. Going from celebrating to sleuthing, she discreetly questions each of them, trying to weed out the culprit. She quickly learns that the victim had heated arguments with several of the people at the gala, and it turns out those people were all connected by a tragedy in the past. Certain the killer is among them, Merry will have to unearth the final clue that nails the killer—before the killer decides she’s getting too close.

Author Bio

Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. Victoria is the bestselling author of three mystery series: the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. She also wrote a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder.

Visit her website at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com and sign up for Victoria’s newsletter.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.VictoriaHamiltonMysteries.com (Sign up for her newsletter for all the latest!)

On  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaHamiltonMysteryAuthor

On BlueSky: @mysteryvictoria.bsky.social Check out my ‘Cozy Mystery Authors’ Starter Pack on BlueSky!

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysteryauthorvictoriahamilton/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/598635.Victoria_Hamilton

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Hamilton/e/B007T7LGAU

 Purchase Links: 
Amazon.com – Amazon.ca – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Smashwords

Giveaway 

Book Review and Giveaway - Grave Words: A Deadly Deadlines Mystery by Gerri Lewis

My Review

Winter Snow is an obituary writer in a small town in Connecticut.  When the body of a local homeless man is found in a burning building, her best friend Scoop is a suspect.  Winter works to clear his name, even as she may be in danger herself.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries.  The Halloween theme cover (and the adorable puppy) also really appealed to me!

This is the second book in the Deadly Deadlines series.  I had not read the first, and it took me a few chapters to get to know the characters, but then I enjoyed this mystery as a standalone.  There are a lot of characters and a "cast of characters" page would be helpful.

I enjoyed Grave Words.  It's well written, a fast paced read, with several plot twists, and smart dialogue that moves the mystery along.

I enjoyed Winter as an amateur detective;  I also liked her boyfriend Kip, friend Scoop, Uncle Richard, and of course her Great Pyrenees puppy Diva.  Her occupation is interesting and unique, and I like the details about her work as well.

I recommend Grave Words for other cozy mystery fans.  Fans of small town mysteries will especially enjoy this book.

Book Synopsis

Winter Snow has had it! With her business in a death drought, her best friend Scoop implicated in a string of arsons, and an obituary listing Winter herself as deceased, her life is heating up. But just as she’s trying to cool things down, she receives her newest assignment: an obituary for Chester, a homeless man found in a burning building.

Promising the local funeral home manager that she will have the obituary by the deadline, Winter is stonewalled at every turn, failing to discover Chester’s last name, or where he came from. When it is discovered that Chester was murdered and that the fire was set to cover it up, all fingers immediately point to Scoop. Not only is Scoop a person of interest in the arsons, he was also the last person to see Chester alive.

As more nails are pounded into Scoop’s coffin, Winter’s uncle Richard hopes to help by inviting the notorious town gossips, The Nosy Parkers, to a neighborhood food fest. Unfortunately, the breadcrumbs they toss set murder in motion.

More determined than ever, Winter must figure out the twists and turns of the case to clear Scoop’s name, putting her on a deadly deadline to solve the murder and avoid meeting the same grave consequences

Author Bio

GERRI LEWIS is the author of The Last Word (2024) and Grave Words (June 10, 2025), the first two books in her Deadly Deadlines Mystery series published by Crooked Lane Books.  Set in her Hallmark-worthy hometown of Ridgefield, Connecticut, this cozy mystery is about obituary writer Winter Snow, who solves murders along with a cast of lovable characters.  During her career as an award-winning reporter, columnist, and feature writer, Gerri has become a go-to person in her community for obituaries. When she is not helping her protagonist solve mysteries, she writes magazine features and is the Public Information Officer for the Ridgefield Office of Emergency Management.  She lives with her husband in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the picture-perfect setting for her books.

Author Links

Website:  https://gerrilewis.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/gerri.lewis.author/

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

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

Giveaway

Book Review and Giveaway - Home Fries and Alibis (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery) by Lena Gregory

My Review

Gia Morelli has a difficult neighbor who falsely claims that Gia's Bernese Mountain Dog Thor is tearing up her yard - and she is threatening toward the dog.  The neighbor ends up dead and Gia sets out to solve the mystery - especially as she feels she is in danger herself.

I wanted to read Home Fries and Alibis because I love the All-Day Breakfast Cafe series.  I try to read each of the books when they are released.

This was an engrossing, fast moving mystery.  As always, I enjoyed Gia's sleuthing with the help of her friends Savannah and Alfie.  They combined technology and old fashioned sleuthing in this mystery.  

I also like the setting, the foodie details from the breakfast cafe, and the atmosphere of Gia's Florida small town.

Her relationship with police captain Hunt is moving along, and her dog and cat were featured prominently in this story.  As an animal lover, I appreciated that Gia and Savannah were very careful to keep their pets safe in the midst of all the danger in their little neighborhood.

I recommend Home Fries and Alibis - and this whole series - for other cozy mystery fans!  It is such a well written, smartly plotted mystery series.

Book Synopsis

When a belligerent woman moves in across the street, café owner Gia Morelli has to call off the welcome wagon and call in the homicide squad . . .

When a nasty new neighbor moves into their peaceful community, Gia and everyone else in the neighborhood is ready to blow a fuse. The spiteful woman has quickly made a nuisance of herself, complaining to and about everyone there. Then she makes the grave mistake of falsely claiming Gia’s dog tore up her yard, and Gia goes ballistic, telling the woman to back off . . . or else. It was an impulsive move for Gia, but someone else decides an even more extreme approach is called for, and silences the woman—permanently.

Unnerved by the thought of a murderer living in her neighborhood, Gia begins digging into the victim’s life to figure out who would have wanted her dead. She soon discovers that the woman was not only malicious but was blackmailing people in the community. Even more surprising is that nearly everyone in the neighborhood has something to hide. Dead-set on rooting out the culprit, Gia has to determine who stood to lose the most if their secret was revealed, unaware that she’s perilously close to losing her own life . . .

Author Bio

Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest, the Mini-Meadows Mysteries, set in a community of tiny homes in Central Florida, and the Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries, which take place in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, New York.

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

• Newsletter: http://lenagregory.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1.
• Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/

Purchase Links

Amazon   Barnes & Noble    Kobo

Giveaway

 

Book Review and Giveaway - Murder Most Eastern (Great Maine Mysteries) by Nellie H. Steele

My Review

Emily Harper's sister dies unexpectedly, leaving Emily her home - with the stipulation that Emily live there for a year.  After Emily arrives at the old Victorian house in Maine, she finds a mysterious bracelet and her sister's cryptic notes about treasure in a lighthouse.  She visits the local lighthouse and begins to see visions of someone in jeopardy.  When the man she meets there ends up murdered, she works to solve that case as well as her sister's mystery.

I wanted to read Murder Most Eastern because the setting was appealing - especially the lighthouse.

This is a fast moving mystery and an enjoyable read.  I like the plotting and the characters (especially Emily and her cat Grayson!).  I enjoyed Emily's sleuthing, and look forward to future books in the Great Maine Mysteries series.

I recommend Murder Most Eastern for other cozy mystery fans, and especially for readers who also like a little spooky element in their mystery reads.

Book Synopsis

A seaside Victorian. A skeptical artist. A cat with secrets. And a murder that won’t stay buried…

When struggling artist Emily Harper inherits a charming but creaky Victorian on the rugged coast of Maine, she expects a fresh start—what she doesn’t expect is cryptic notes, eerie visions, and a cat with an uncanny sense for trouble.

But nothing unsettles her more than the bracelet. A striking piece of tourmaline jewelry left behind in the house, it sends shivers up her spine whenever she wears it. At first, she chalks it up to stress—until she visits West Quoddy Head Lighthouse and is struck by a chilling vision of a man begging for his life. The next day, his body is found.

With a storm brewing, long-buried secrets rising to the surface, and a killer who will do anything to keep the past hidden, Emily must embrace the unexplainable—or risk becoming the next victim.

Fans of Ellery Adams and Carolyn Hart will love this twisty, atmospheric paranormal cozy mystery full of seaside charm, ghostly intrigue, and a heroine who refuses to back down—no matter how haunted her past may be.

Read now and sleuth the clues today.

Author Bio

Nellie H. Steele is a storyteller who doesn’t just write books—she writes the stories her characters tell her. With distinct voices and minds of their own, her characters often take over, guiding her through tales of romance, mystery, adventure, and suspense.

A lifelong bookworm, Nellie vividly recalls sitting on the concrete floor of her childhood library, eagerly devouring Nancy Drew books and dreaming of solving mysteries of her own. Now an award-winning author, she spends her days crafting immersive worlds and unforgettable characters that feel like old friends. Her house is a zoo—literally—thanks to her rescue animals who seem perfectly happy napping while she writes.

Nellie’s writing process often involves background TV she never actually watches because she’s too wrapped up in her characters’ antics. When she’s not spinning stories, she works as a professor of statistics, where students who know her as an author are often surprised to find she really does teach math.

If you love twisty mysteries, soap-opera-style romance, and thrilling adventures, dive into Nellie’s books today and discover worlds you won’t want to leave. Connect with Nellie on Facebook at @NellieHSteele—she loves chatting with readers about characters, stories, and more!

Author Links
Website: https://nelliehsteele.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NellieHSteele/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nelliehsteele
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19769743.Nellie_H_Steele

Purchase Link: Amazon 

Giveaway

Book Giveaway - Blueprint for Murder by Penni Justice

I am delighted to welcome my friend, mystery author Penni Justice, back for a visit.  She has generously offered a cozy mystery giveaway both here and on my Facebook page - please visit there as well.  

Book Synopsis

Nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Orchard Grove is the kind of town where everyone knows your name—and your secrets don’t stay buried for long.

When Piper Landry buys the grandest old building on the town square to expand her antique shop into a cozy bookstore and coffee nook, she’s expecting creaky floors, not creeping danger. But after a woman is found murdered behind the building during the final night of the Apple Festival, Piper notices an unsettling number of people suddenly taking interest in her new property, each with their own questions and motives. The more she digs, the more she what could be hidden inside the old walls of 101 Main Street?

Perfect for fans of small-town whodunits and amateur sleuths with heart.

Author Bio

Penni Justice 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 spark ideas for her writing.

Her love of books began early, nurtured by frequent trips to the 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 60 fiction books each year, favoring cozy mysteries, historical fiction, and spy thrillers. In May 2023, she graduated with honors from Southern New Hampshire University with a B.A. in Creative Writing and English, focusing on fiction writing. Her coursework included numerous workshops that helped her hone her voice and narrative style.

For the past 24 years, Penni has owned and operated a music entertainment agency, specializing in public relations, writing, ghostwriting, and marketing. Alongside her fiction, she is also working on a historical novel set during the 1940s in South Georgia 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 of whom inspire her with their humor, intelligence, and love. They are, in her words, “the absolute joys of my life.”

Giveaway

One lucky winner will win a print copy of  Blueprint for Murder by Penni Justice.  Books ship to the U.S. only.  Winner will be drawn Monday, 9/8, and needs to respond within 48 hours or another winner will be drawn.

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