Dear Friends, I hope you are having a good week and enjoying Fall weather and Halloween plans! I found a cute video to share with you today. This features Doxie Din again. In this video he dresses up and sells pumpkins -- and watermelons! My favorite part of the video is when he actually gets some watermelon as a treat. My Momma has no talent for carving pumpkins so I do not have much experience with jack o' lanterns. I do, however, like watermelon! I would love to hear from you in the comments. Have a wonderful weekend! Love, Abby xoxoxo
Book Synopsis Sammy Kane just moved back
to her hometown to run a craft store. But when the owner of a nearby
yarn shop is murdered, Sammy will needle little help finding the killer.
When a heartbroken Samantha “Sammy” Kane
returns to her hometown of Heartsford, WI, for her best friend Kate’s
funeral, she learns that Kate’s much-loved craft store is in danger of
perishing with its owner. Confounding all her expectations of the life
she would live, Sammy moves back home with her golden retriever and
takes over Community Craft. A few doors down Main Street, fellow new
arrival Ingrid Wilson has just opened the Yarn Barn, a real “purl” of a
shop. But when Sammy strolls over to see if Ingrid could use a little
help, she finds Ingrid’s dead body—with a green aluminum knitting needle
lodged in her throat.
Detective Liam Nash is thrown for a loop
as every single citizen of Heartsford seems to have a theory about
Ingrid’s murder. And nearly everyone in town seems to be a suspect. But
the last time Sammy did any sleuthing was as a little moppet. And this
is not fun and games. Sammy is eager to help the handsome Liam—who seems
to be endlessly inventive in finding reasons to talk with her—and when
Liam arrests affable woodworker Miles Danbury, Sammy puts everything on
the line to help clear Miles.
As the case comes dangerously close to
unraveling, Sammy must stitch the clues together. But the killer has
other plans—and if Sammy’s not careful, she may wind up in a perilous
knot in A Crafter Knits a Clue, the first warm and woolly yarn of Holly
Quinn’s new Handcrafted mysteries.
My Review A Crafter Knits a Clue is the first book in a new series, A Handcrafted Mystery. Sammy (Samantha) Kane has moved back to her hometown of Heartsford, Wisconsin. Her best friend Kate passed away and she has decided to continue Kate's work by running her store, Community Craft. When another craft store owner is mysteriously murdered, Sammy works together with her sister and cousin to solve the case. This puts her safety in jeopardy and does not please police detective (and possible romantic interest) Liam Nash. This is a great start to a new series! The first few chapters have a lot of needed exposition about Sammy and her friend Kate and Community Craft, Kate's store that Sammy has taken over. The mystery happens early on and the pace really picks up then. The mystery aspect of A Crafter Knits a Clue is especially well done. There are a number of viable suspects and lots of little twists and turns. I loved the idea of Sammy, Heidi, and Ellie continuing their childhood sleuthing as S.H.E. (their childhood detective agency name). This lent a sort of Nancy Drew quality to the story that was a lot of fun. I also liked the detecting the women did in Ingrid's spooky old house. (Ingrid was the murder victim.) It was very atmospheric and my favorite part of the mystery. The relationship between Sammy and Liam is appealing and their banter is fun to read. I look forward to reading more of their story in upcoming books in this series. The small town was charming and I could picture a number of the settings just from the descriptions in the book. Of course, I also loved Sammy's Golden Retriever, Bara! I recommend A Crafter Knits a Clue for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries. Readers who enjoy small town settings, crafting, or dogs will find the book especially appealing.
Book Synopsis For Napoleon’s stepdaughter, nothing is simple — especially love.
Paris, 1798. Hortense de Beauharnais is engrossed in her studies at a
boarding school for aristocratic girls, most of whom suffered tragic
losses during the tumultuous days of the French Revolution. She loves to
play and compose music, read and paint, and daydream about Christophe,
her brother’s dashing fellow officer. But Hortense is not an ordinary
girl. Her beautiful, charming mother Josephine has married Napoleon
Bonaparte, soon to become the most powerful man in France, but viewed by
Hortense as a coarse, unworthy successor to her elegant father, who was
guillotined during the Terror.
Where will Hortense’s future lie?
Inspired by Hortense’s real-life autobiography with charming glimpses
of teen life long ago, this is the story of a girl chosen by fate to
play a role she didn’t choose.
Gulland, who’s clearly done her research, includes plenty of
documented moments and people from Hortense’s life, which cultivates a
rich sense of atmosphere . . . Teen fans of historical fiction
fascinated by the period will find plenty to appreciate here.” —
Booklist
“Gulland has built a career writing historical fiction for adults … .
Her pitch-perfect balance of lush period details and character-driven
narrative shines again in The Game of Hope. — Quill & Quire
“[The Game of Hope] captures the essence of the period. It is not
just a story about a girl; it is about the time; it is about the people
whose lives she touched and about the changes spurned from the
revolution. That is what makes it so grand and captivating.” — Cyn’s
Workshop Review
“Sandra Gulland’s writing is enchanting and beautiful.” — Krimsuun Pages
Author Bio Sandra Gulland is an American-born Canadian novelist specializing in
historical fiction. She is the author of the internationally bestselling
trilogy of adult books based on the life of Josephine de Beauharnais
Bonaparte, as well as two novels set at the court of Louis XIV, the Sun
King. Her books have been published in sixteen countries, translated
into thirteen languages, and sold more than a million copies worldwide.
Sandra Gulland’s novels include The Josephine B. Trilogy, The Shadow Queen, Mistress of the Sun, and The Game of Hope.
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a copy of The Game of
Hope to one lucky reader! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form
below.
Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to US Only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems;
any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor,
and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Dear Friends, I have a cute short video for you today. It features a black and tan dachshund who is super cute. He is so cute, in fact, that he has learned to get his way in all situations. Sometimes he wants extra kibble, or he wants his Dad to fetch a toy for him, or he wants the comfy chair to himself. Guess what? He gets his way every time just because he has mastered The Look. If you have a dog or cat, does he or she have The Look that helps grant wishes? Momma says that I do -- I will even go belly up before giving The Look. (This is a trade secret that I probably should not be sharing here!) Here is the video: I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below. Love, Abby xoxoxo
Dearest loved ones, far and near—evergreen tidings from the Baumgartners!
Violet Baumgartner has opened her annual holiday letter the same way
for the past three decades. And this year she’s going to throw her
husband, Ed, a truly perfect retirement party, one worthy of
memorializing in her upcoming letter. But the event becomes a disaster
when, in front of two hundred guests, Violet learns her daughter Cerise
has been keeping a shocking secret from her, shattering Violet’s
carefully constructed world.
In an epic battle of wills, Violet goes to increasing lengths to
wrest back control of her family, infuriating Cerise and snaring their
family and friends in a very un-Midwestern, un-Baumgartner gyre of
dramatics. And there will be no explaining away the consequences in this
year’s Baumgartner holiday letter…
Full of humor, emotion and surprises at every turn, Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners brings
to life a remarkable cast of quirky, deeply human characters who must
learn to adapt to the unconventional, or else risk losing one another.
This is the story of a family falling to pieces—and the unexpected way
they put it all back together.
My Review Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners tells the story of the Baumgartner family through a pivotal year ending, of course, at Christmas time. There is the formidable matriarch, Violet, her long suffering husband Ed, their daughter Cerise, and Cerise's partner Barb. But somehow there is much more, and it all adds up to an unusually fun holiday read! I am in awe of the feat that Gretchen Anthony has pulled off with this novel. There is a large cast of characters and there are numerous flashbacks to Christmas letters and family moments from previous years. This is all handled so deftly. I especially loved how well developed and delineated the characters were in this novel. I also loved the unique blend of humor and heart in this book. The humor is sly and sometimes laugh out loud funny. One of my favorite lines from an earlier Christmas letter by Violet: "I cannot believe that it was just five short years ago she left home with nothing but a fresh high school diploma, a laptop and a new Laura Ashley comforter (no one should leave for college without good bedding)" (p. 32). There is a dinner party in this novel that is one of the funniest scenes I can recall reading in a book. And the characters! Violet is imposing and controling -- and yet I came to really like her by the end of the novel. Her husband Ed is salt of the earth, such a good and decent man. When their daughter Cerise tells them she and Barb are expecting, Violet is beside herself trying to find the paternity of the baby. That sets a chain of events into motion that continues through the novel. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil any of the plot twists. There was one little surprise after another. Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners is such a fun holiday read! I highly recommend it -- you're in for a treat.
Author Bio Gretchen Anthony is a Minnesota-based writer and humorist whose work
has been featured on scarymommy.com, medium.com and thewritelife.com.
She’s also spent decades as a ghostwriter and has written for some of
the best personal brands in the United States, from CEOs to doctors and
start-up superstars to BBQ pros. Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners
is her first novel.
Giveaway One lucky winner will receive a print copy of Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners. (U.S. only). Enter at the Rafflecopter link below. Winner will be contacted after October 20, and will need to respond within 48 hours or a new name will be drawn. Good luck to all! a Rafflecopter giveaway I received a copy of this book from TLC Book Tours.
