Dear Abby - The Return -- With Resolutions!

Dear Friends,

I'm back!  I missed chatting with you here.  How was your holiday?  I had a lovely time.  Here's my Christmas card picture for 2016:

I had a wonderful Christmas with my family.  I got treats, toys, and lots of lap time!   Here are a couple of pictures from Christmas day.  My human Grandma is helping me try on a Santa hat in this picture:

... and here I am with my new toys!   I played with them for a few minutes before deciding they function very well as pillows.  I love to cuddle with my soft toys.

I even made time to write a few New Year's resolutions: 

1. Take quiet time to reflect upon life.

2. Always be ready with a warm kiss.

3. Nap whenever you can!

4. And, of course, do your best to avoid thunderstorms!

I have some themes ahead for this year.  I'm debating between two for upcoming blog posts.  I'll make a decision and ask for your participation next week.

I'd love to hear from you!  Did you have a nice holiday season?  Did you - or your pets - make any resolutions?  You can leave me a message in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Book Review and Giveaway - Fudge and Jury by Ellie Alexander

Book Synopsis

Welcome to Torte–a friendly, small-town family bakery where the pastries are delicious…and, now, suspicious.

It’s almost spring in Ashland, Oregon, and the town is preparing for the Shakespeare and the annual Chocolate Festival. Business is cookin’ at Torte, and the store is expanding as Jules’ team whips up crèpes filled with mascarpone cheese and dark chocolate. Torte stands a chance of being this year’s confectionery belle of the ball! Life couldn’t be sweeter—unless murder taints the batter.

Evan Rowe, of Confections Couture, makes a chocolate fountain that would put Willy Wonka to shame, and his truffles are to die for—literally? Yes, the world-renowned chocolatier has just turned up dead…right after sampling a slice of Jules’ decadent four-layer chocolate cake. Now all eyes are on Jules as she tries to find the mysterious ingredient in her own recipe. Can she sift out the truth before another contestant bites the buttercream?

 

 

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

 

My Review

Fudge and Jury is the fifth book in Ellie Alexander's A Bakeshop Mystery series.  It is set in Ashland, Oregon.  Juliet Montague Capshaw - Jules for short - prepares sumptuous treats for the annual Chocolate Festival that coincides with the town's Shakespeare Festival.  Unfortunately, a chocolatier dies after tasting one of Jules' cakes.  

 

Fudge and Jury is a charming mystery set in the picturesque Pacific Northwest.  I loved the town, as depicted in this novel, and found the characters very likeable and engaging as well.

 

This is my first Bakeshop Mystery book, but I had no problem catching up with the characters and storyline.

 

The characters are well developed and the mystery is well written, with a storyline that moves along at a steady pace.

 

Foodies will love the baking details in this book!  I loved details like this description:

 

"The Swiss buttercream had a bright coffee finish and just the right balance of bitterness to sweetness.  It spread on the cakes like butter.  Next, I filled a piping bag with more buttercream and started the painstaking task of piping a delicate trim around the border of each cake.  Then I used a closed star tip to hand-pipe individual tiny stars on the sides of the cakes.  The look was both rustic and chic.  When we transported them to the Chocolate Fest I would decorate the tops with Oregon berries and greenery.  It would give them a pop of color and tie in with my forest theme" (pp. 24 - 25).

 

Fudge and Jury is full of this type of mouthwatering descriptions and details!  Add that to the mystery, the character driven plot, and the charming town, and you have a perfect cozy mystery for a weekend read. 

 

Author Bio

Ellie Alexander writes the bestselling Bakeshop Mystery series for St. Martin’s Press, set in the Shakespearean town of Ashland, Oregon and featuring a romantic, artisan pastry chef, Juliet Montague Capshaw.

Ellie is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research.

 

Connect with Ellie

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Giveaway

One lucky reader will win a copy of this book.  Open to U.S. and Canada.  Enter with the Rafflecopter form, below.  A winner will be drawn 1/14/17 and notified by email.  Winner must respond within 48 hours.  The book will be mailed directly to the winner by the author or her publicist.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a copy of this book from TLC Book Tours.

Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Telling Tails by Sofie Ryan

Book Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling author of A Whisker of Trouble returns as secondhand shop owner Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, get caught up in a case of she said, she said…. 

When Sarah Grayson opened a secondhand shop in the quaint town of North Harbor, Maine, she was expecting peace and quiet. Then she was adopted by a rescue cat named Elvis and a kooky trio of senior sleuths known as Charlotte’s Angels. Now she has nine lives worth of excitement…

Sarah’s friend and employee Rose is delivering a customer’s purchase when the quick errand becomes a deadly escapade. Rose arrives just in time to see the customer murdered by his wife, but before she can call the police, she is knocked out cold. When she wakes up, no one believes her, especially after the woman claims her husband is very much alive and has left her for someone else—and has a text message and empty bank account to prove it.

Despite her convincing story, Sarah is sure something is fishy—and it’s not Elvis’s kitty treats. Sarah, Elvis, and the Angels are determined to unravel this mysterious yarn, before the feral killer pounces again…

Author Bio
Sofie Ryan/Sofie Kelly is the pseudonym of author and mixed-media artist, Darlene Ryan. Sofie/Darlene lives on the east coast with her husband and daughter. In her spare time she practices Wu style tai chi and likes to prowl around thrift stores. And she admits to having a small crush on Matt Lauer. 

Webpage

Purchase Links:

Pre-order at: Amazon.ca Amazon Barnes&Noble Books•A•Million Chapters IndieBound

Giveaway
(3) Print Copy - Telling Tails by Sofie Ryan - U.S. ONLY
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

17 Fun Facts About Me for 2017

Happy New Year!

These fun fact lists are becoming a tradition here (see my lists for 2015 and 2016), so I couldn't resist a new one for 2017!

1.  My 3 core beliefs:  Christianity, pet rescue, vegetarianism.

 

2.  I love soul food.

 

3.  I love classic country music:  Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson . . .

 

4.  I do a good Wicked Witch of the West imitation.

 

5.  I went on my first camping trip at 6 months old.

 

6.  No scary movies, books, or tv shows for me;  they give me bad dreams!

 

7.  However, I love a good mystery.  Favorites include cozy mysteries, the Masterpiece Mystery! series, Columbo, and of course Nancy Drew.

 

8.  When I first learned to drive, I failed the driving test (twice!) because I couldn't parallel park.  Ironically, I have lived my entire adult life in the city with on-street parking.  Now I am a parallel parking pro!

 

9.  I love classic Disney.  My favorite animated Disney movie is Lady and the Tramp.  My favorite live action Disney is The Ugly Dachshund (of course!).

 

10.  I love polka dots!

 

11.  My favorite colors to wear:  green, red, pink.

 

12.  I prefer milk chocolate.

 

13.  I love cafeterias - the more old fashioned, the better.

 

14.  I don't like hats (never have!) but love to wear hoodies. 

15.  Tulips are my favorite flowers.

16.  I love 1950's - 1960's instrumental pop songs.

 

17.  I love trains!  I would love to take a long trip on Amtrak.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Abby and I are planning to take a blog break until the New Year.  We'll be back with book reviews and giveaways, retro posts and nostalgia, and - of course - Dear Abby on Fridays!

Thank you so much for reading and interacting here.  Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season!