Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Beach Blanket Homicide (Whispering Bay Mystery) by Maria Geraci

Book Synopsis

Everyone agrees that Lucy McGuffin bakes the best muffins in Whispering Bay, but she’s got another talent, one that she’s tried her whole life to hide. Lucy can always tell when a person is lying or telling the truth. Being a human lie detector isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Especially when you don’t really want the answer to the universal question: Does this dress make my butt look too big?

When Lucy is hired to cater the grand opening celebration of the city’s new community center, she stumbles across the dead body of Abby Delgado, a prominent member of the Sunshine Ghost Society. Lucy’s brother, Father Sebastian, a local priest, is the last person to have seen Abby alive. Convinced he’ll be breaking a confidence, Sebastian refuses to cooperate with the police, forcing Lucy to put her skills to the test to save her brother’s good name.

Enter the town’s new hotshot deputy, Travis Fontaine. Travis doesn’t want an amateur like Lucy snooping around his turf, so he offers her a deal. He’ll stay out of her kitchen if she’ll stay away from his crime scene. But Lucy isn’t about to let her brother’s fate rest in the hands of an arrogant cop. Good thing she has her best friend Will and her new little rescue dog, Paco, to back her up, because its up to Lucy to figure out what everyone in the quaint little beachside town is hiding.

Author Bio
Maria Geraci writes quirky, fun, romantic women’s fiction and cozy mysteries. She’s a two time RITA® Finalist, as well as a finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards and Romantic Times’ American Title Contest. She lives in central Florida and is always on the lookout for the perfect key lime pie recipe (but not the kind they served on Dexter).

Author Links
Website – http://mariageraci.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MariaGeraciBooks
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2869532.Maria_Geraci
BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-geraci
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/authormariageraci/

Purchase Link – Amazon

Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Dear Abby - Dog Songs: "I'll Be Doggone" by Marvin Gaye (1965)

Dear Friends,

I have a great oldies song to share with you today.  It's not really about a dog but it has "doggone" in the title -- "I'll Be Doggone" by Marvin Gaye (1965). 

This was a classic Motown song, produced by Smokey Robinson and written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin.  It was a hit and reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.   This song was later covered by a number of artists, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, 1960's model Twiggy, and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.

Interesting trivia -- the Funk Brothers, Motown studio musicians, played on this song.  If you have not seen the documentary about them, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, my Momma recommends it highly.

I got curious about the word "doggone" and where it came from (after all, it features the word DOG, so it is a word I need to know!).   This word was first used in 1819 and it is a more polite synonym for the word "damn" - like "dang" or "blasted."   (Oops, sorry about that, Momma -- I know this is a family friendly blog!)  The things you can learn online -- and all because of this song!

Here is a video of the song:



Do you know this one?  It's an oldie but goodie.

I hope you have a good weekend ... I look forward to catching up again next week!

Love,
Abby xoxoxo

Book Review and Giveaway - Temptation Rag by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard

Book Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old May Convery, unhappy with her privileged life in turn-of-the-century New York City, dreams of becoming a poet. When she meets the talented young Mike Bernard, an aspiring concert pianist, she immediately falls in love. But after their secret liaison is discovered, neither is prepared for the far-reaching consequences that will haunt them for decades. As Mike abandons serious music to ruthlessly defend his hard-won title, Ragtime King of the World, May struggles to find her voice as an artist and a woman. It is not until years after their youthful romance, when they cross paths again, that they must finally confront the truth about themselves and each other. But is it too late?

The world of ragtime is the backdrop for a remarkable story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness. From vaudeville’s greatest stars to the geniuses of early African American musical theater, an unforgettable cast of real-life characters populates this richly-fictionalized historical saga.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Chapters | IndieBound

My Review
Temptation Rag is a historical novel that tells the story of May Convery and Mike Bernard over a number of years.  May is a 17 year old society girl in New York City.  Mike is a ragtime musician.  The book also is about ragtime and early African American performers in vaudeville and musical theater.

I was very intrigued by Temptation Rag because of the element of ragtime music.  I grew up playing the piano and loved playing Scott Joplin's ragtime songs.   Those songs were my main exposure to ragtime;  I was not familiar with Ben Harney or Mike Bernard or the other names mentioned in this book.  I love music, so I was very curious to learn more!   The music history aspect of this story is absolutely fascinating.   Although much of the story focuses on May and Mike, there is also the story of Mike Bernard, a classically trained pianist, and Ben Harney, a white musician who has learned ragtime from African American performers.

This novel features many characters, switching back and back from chapter to chapter, and it also sweeps through many years, from 1895 to 1943.  I found this interesting and thought the multiple points of view brought something unique to the storytelling.  At the same time, I found it a bit harder to build continuity and engagement as a reader because the point of view changed so often.

As a fan of historical fiction, I am very impressed with the wealth of historical details in this novel.  The author includes a chapter (Author's Note) at the end of the book with details about which characters were inspired by real people.  I was interested to learn more and looked online to read more about the real lives behind these characters.  That is a wonderful gift that historical fiction can give a reader ... a glimpse at another time and place that makes readers curious to know more.

Readers who are fans of historical fiction, music history, African American history, and women's history will enjoy Temptation Rag.   

Author Bio
Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is an award-winning author of historical fiction. Her novel The Beauty Doctor is a suspenseful tale that takes place in the early days of cosmetic surgery—when the world of medicine was a bit like the Wild West and beauty doctors were the newest breed of outlaw. Temptation Rag: A Novel immerses readers in the bawdy atmosphere of vaudeville and early twentieth-century African American musical theater in a story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness.

Elizabeth currently lives in Arizona with her husband and their much-loved and very spoiled black Lab.

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway 
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away copies of Bernard's other novel, The Beauty Doctor. One paperback and two eBooks are up for grabs. To enter, please use the Gleam form below.  

Giveaway Rules 
 – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 15th. 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. 

Temptation Rag 

Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Cherokee America by Margaret Verble

Book Synopsis

From the author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Maud’s Line, an epic novel that follows a web of complex family alliances and culture clashes in the Cherokee Nation during the aftermath of the Civil War, and the unforgettable woman at its center.

It’s the early spring of 1875 in the Cherokee Nation West. A baby, a black hired hand, a bay horse, a gun, a gold stash, and a preacher have all gone missing. Cherokee America Singer, known as “Check,” a wealthy farmer, mother of five boys, and soon-to-be widow, is not amused.

In this epic of the American frontier, several plots intertwine around the heroic and resolute Check: her son is caught in a compromising position that results in murder; a neighbor disappears; another man is killed. The tension mounts and the violence escalates as Check’s mixed race family, friends, and neighbors come together to protect their community—and painfully expel one of their own.

Cherokee America vividly, and often with humor, explores the bonds—of blood and place, of buried histories and half-told tales, of past grief and present injury—that connect a colorful, eclectic cast of characters, anchored by the clever, determined, and unforgettable Check.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Chapters | IndieBound | Kobo

Author Bio

Margaret Verble is an enrolled and voting citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a member of a large Cherokee family that has, through generations, made many contributions to the tribe’s history and survival. Although many of her family have remained in Oklahoma to this day, and some still own and farm the land on which the book is set, Margaret was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Many of the characters of Maud’s Line are based on people Margaret knew as a child and the setting is land she roamed for many years of her life. In part, Margaret wrote this book to keep those people and that land alive in her heart.

Margaret’s new novel, Cherokee America, will be released by Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt on Feb. 19, 2019. A prequel to Maud’s Line, it is set in 1875 in the Arkansas River bottoms of the old Cherokee Nation West.

Margaret is a member of the Authors Guild and Western Writers of America.

 

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Giveaway 
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away five copies of Cherokee America by Margaret Verble! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.  

Giveaway Rules 
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 15th. 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. 
Cherokee America

 

Dear Abby - Dog Songs: Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men (2000)

Dear Friends,

I'm back with another dog song for you.   "Who Let the Dogs Out" was a hit for the Baha Men in 2000.  This Bahamian group made it to the top 40 with this song.  It became a hit after being featured in the movie Rugrats in Paris.  It is now a popular song at sporting events.

My Momma is not a fan of this song.  She says it is one that gets in your head and refuses to leave!

For me it just raises questions, most especially:  who DID let the dogs out?   The song never answers that.

I found a video of the song that has the music with photos of cute puppies.  Enjoy!  (And sorry if the song gets stuck in your head too!)



I'd love to hear form you in the comments, below.  Do you remember this one?  And do you know who let the dogs out?

Have a great day!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo