Welcome to my stop on the tour for the new Chocolate Martini (how could I resist a chocolate martini, lol?) Sisters Mystery, "Reading, Writing, and Murder" by Brenda Whiteside and Joyce Proell. There's also a giveaway, so get comfy, enjoy the excerpt, and enter the giveaway!
BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde
Showing posts with label cozy mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cozy mystery. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Monday, October 31, 2022
Bea and A Voracious Reader Review Mosaics and Magic by Nancy Warren
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes, but not recommended
Publisher: Ambleside Publishing
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Release Date: September 28th, 2022
Buying Link: Amazon*
* affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through this link.
Blurb from goodreads:
Beware the crystal ball...
When Lucy and Rafe are given a crystal ball as a wedding present, she’s shocked when it foretells doom. For the newlyweds, this was supposed to be a time of joy and celebration. But when a terrible accident befalls one of their wedding guests, Lucy and Rafe must postpone their honeymoon. And as the evidence begins to unravel, it becomes clear this was no accident.
Lucy and her undead knitters must navigate punting on the Cherwell River in Oxford, complicated and contentious relationships among their guests, and clues that don’t make sense. It may have looked like a random tragedy, but as every knitter knows, when you place the separate strands in a certain light, there’s always a distinctive pattern.
This is book 14 in the Vampire Knitting Club series. There's no blood, gore, swearing or sex, just quirky characters, a compelling mystery and a lot of fun.
Grab your copy today and join the club.
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Review: Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes, but not recommended
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 2nd, 2022
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
New York Times, bestselling author Donna Andrews first introduced us to Meg Langslow as a crime-solving bridesmaid. In her 31st mystery, Round Up the Usual Peacocks, Meg returns to her roots, juggling cold cases and wedding guests.
Kevin, Meg's cyber-savvy nephew who lives in the basement, comes to her with a problem. He's become involved as the techie for a true-crime podcast, one that focuses on Virginia cold cases and unsolved crimes. And he thinks their podcast has hit a nerve with someone . . . one of the podcast team has had a brush with death that Kevin thinks was an attempted murder, not an accident.
Kevin rather sheepishly asks for Meg's help in checking out the people involved in a couple of the cases. "Given your ability to find out stuff online, why do you need MY help?" she asks. "Um . . . because I've already done everything I can online. This'll take going around and TALKING to people," he exclaims, with visible horror. "In person!" Not his thing. And no, it can't wait until after the wedding, because he's afraid whoever's after them might take advantage of the chaos of the wedding at Trinity or the reception at Meg and Michael's house to strike again.
So on top of everything she's doing to round up vendors and supplies and take care of demanding out-of-town guests, Meg must hunt down the surviving suspects from three relatively local cold cases so she can figure out if they have it in for the podcasters. Could there be a connection to a musician on the brink of stardom who disappeared two decades ago and hasn't been seen since?
Monday, April 26, 2021
Review & Giveaway: Lady Rosamund and the Horned God by Barbara Monajem
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes, though not recommended by the author
Publisher: Level Best Books
Source: the pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 20th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Google Books |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Widowed Lady Rosamund spends the first months of her mourning in the Lake District, where it’s safe and peaceful, and murders are exceedingly rare. Luckily, she is rescued from this tedium by a house party comprised of playwrights, poets, and actors—an immoral set of persons with whom no respectable lady should associate. Even so, she hardly expected to wake in the wee hours to find one of the guests lying dead.
As if that wasn’t troublesome enough, Gilroy McBrae is at the same party, masquerading as a footman to investigate a series of thefts. Was the sudden death an accident—or murder? Almost everyone had reason to loathe their unpleasant fellow guest. Rosie must set aside her confused emotions about McBrae and work with him to find the culprit before an innocent person is accused of the crime.
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Review & Giveaway: Arrowed by Avery Daniels
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Blazing Sword Publishing Ltd.
Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 1st, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
It all began when a dying man with an arrow in his chest grabs her ankle.
During a heat wave at a Santa Fe resort, Julienne has the resort owner pressuring her to solve the murder. The victim is a high profile business man who made enemies rather than friends, leaving Julienne with a roster of suspects. She was supposed to be training the staff and spending quality time with Mason rather than investigating a murder. The heat turns up when an old girlfriend of Mason's checks in and is determined to get back together.
Arrowed is the fourth book in Avery Daniel's Resort to Murder series and is an exciting contemporary cozy mystery. If you like Cleo Coyle, Maddy Hunter, Duffy Brown, Lynn Cahoon, and Annette Dashofy, then you'll love this series with a strong intelligent sleuth, lavish settings, and tantalizing mysteries.
Buy this spunky clean cozy mystery and start enjoying Julienne's adventures today!
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Bea and A Voracious Reader Review A Spelling Mistake by Nancy Warren
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Ambleside Publishing
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Release Date: Nov. 6th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Oops...
With great power comes...great big trouble when you make a mistake. Between managing a book shop in a postcard-pretty village in County Cork, Ireland, running a book club made up of vampires, and solving murders, my life is pretty full. Throw in that I'm a middle-aged witch with some powerful magic, if I do say so myself, and sometimes my brain hits overload. Is that what happened? I don't know, but when magic goes wrong in a town as quirky as Ballydehag, hold onto your broomsticks. You're in for a crazy ride.
A Spelling Mistake is book 3 in the Vampire Book Club series of cozy paranormal mysteries. Each can be read alone and there is no bad language or gore. There is humor, murder solving and a touch of romance from the best-selling author of the Vampire Knitting Club series.
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Bea and A Voracious Reader Review Diamonds and Daggers by Nancy Warren
Series: Vampire Knitting Club #11
Read As A Stand Alone: Not recommended
Publisher: Ambleside Publishing
Read As A Stand Alone: Not recommended
Publisher: Ambleside Publishing
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Release Date: September 15th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | B&N | Book Depository
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Release Date: September 15th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | B&N | Book Depository
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Missing jewels, a witch's dagger and murder... Just a regular day at Cardinal Woolsey's Knitting and Yarn shop in Oxford.
When glamorous vampire Sylvia discovers a movie company is remaking one of her most famous silent films, she's determined to get some creative input and decides to make knitting shop owner Lucy the beneficiary of her estate. Lucy will front for Sylvia in dealing with the movie executives who want to recreate the priceless Cartier jewels made specially for the original movie and still owned by Sylvia.
Meanwhile, Lucy's moving along in her witch's training. It's time to choose her own athame, a dagger that she'll use for spells.
With all that going on she's barely got time to run a knitting shop, never mind solve another murder.
This is book 11 in the Vampire Knitting Club. From a USA Today bestselling author, these stories are cozy, clean, with quirky characters, a too-smart cat, and lots of magic and mayhem. Each can be read alone.
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Bea and A Voracious Reader Review Chapter and Curse by Nancy Warren
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Ambleside Publishing
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Release Date: July 8th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
A quiet Irish village? Not so much!
An ancient curse seems to be causing bad luck in the charming village of Ballydehag, Ireland—witch Quinn Callahan’s new home. When someone is murdered is it the curse? Or is there a very human murderer on the loose? Moving to a small Irish village was supposed to keep the middle-aged witch out of trouble. Yeah, that didn't happen. Quinn and her bookish vampires must find the real killer and end the curse before someone else dies.
If you like quirky characters, mystery, humor and a touch of romance, don't miss this second instalment in the Vampire Book Club series from the best-selling author of The Vampire Knitting Club. Each book is a complete story that can be read on its own.
Friday, June 5, 2020
Friday Book Memes: Haunted by Cathy Pegau
I'm participating in two Friday book memes, Book Beginnings On Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reader, and The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice.
Every Friday, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.
For the Friday 56, grab a book, any book. Turn to Page 56, or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that's okay. Find a snippet, short and sweet. Post it, and add the url to your post at the link here.
For the Friday 56, grab a book, any book. Turn to Page 56, or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that's okay. Find a snippet, short and sweet. Post it, and add the url to your post at the link here.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Thrifty Thursday Review: Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Kensington
Source: Amazon, free at purchase
Purchase Date: March 2nd, 2011
Release Date:
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Determined to make a new start in her quaint hometown on the banks of the Mississippi, Brandy Borne never dreams she'll become the prime suspect in a murder case. . .
Moving back in with her eccentric, larger-than-life mother, Brandy Borne finds small-town Serenity anything but serene. It seems an unscrupulous antiques dealer has swindled Vivian out of the family's heirlooms. But when he is found run over in a country lane, Brandy becomes Murder Suspect Number One--with her mother coming in a very close second. . .
The list of other suspects is impressive--the victim's business seems to have been based on bilking seniors out of their possessions. And when the Borne "girls" uncover a few very unsavory Serenity secrets, they become targets for a murderer whose favorite hobby seems to be collecting victims.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Review & Giveaway: Murder in the Secret Maze by Judith Gonda
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: February 26th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Google Books | Kobo | Smashwords*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
First in a new series featuring California landscape architect Tory Benning!
Landscape architect Tory Benning knows the lay of the land, but she’ll have to dig through the clues to unearth a killer . . .
After a whirlwind romance and a glorious wedding at the luxurious Hotel Santa Sofia, Tory Benning is ready to let down her hair, slip into her dancing shoes, and celebrate—until she discovers that her newly minted husband has vanished. The police suspect cold feet and second thoughts are behind Milo’s disappearance, but Tory’s certain he’s met with foul play. And since she designed the plush resort, she knows every nook and cranny of the grounds and adjoining secret maze, and wastes no time delving into her search.
As clues begin to emerge that Milo may have taken his last breath in the maze, Tory steps up her sleuthing, even as she learns she’s the prime suspect of a cop with a chip on his shoulder and is squarely in the sights of a menacing stalker. And when a second body is found on the grounds, Tory fears she’s up against a killer determined to silence any and all who get in the way.
Not to be deterred, Tory forges ahead, navigating a case with more twists and turns than the maze itself, until the labyrinth of clues leads her to shocking revelations about her husband, her family, and the identity of a killer who’s dead set on making her the next victim.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Release Day Review: Terns of Endearment by Donna Andrews
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
A new side-splitting Meg Langslow mystery from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Toucan Keep a Secret.
Meg's grandfather has been booked to give lectures on a cruise as part of the education/entertainment itinerary, and he's arranged for a passel of family members to join him.
The passengers' vacation quickly becomes a nightmare when they wake up to find themselves broken down and in need of repairs. Things get even worse when a crew member announces to all that a woman has jumped overboard, leaving behind her shoes, shawl, and a note. The note reveals she's a disliked member of a writers' group onboard for a retreat, and the group is split on whether this is in-character for her.
The captain decides not to investigate, saying he'll notify American authorities when they reach their destination. But Meg's father decides they need to look into whether there was possible foul play while the prime suspects are all stuck on board. It'll be a race against the clock to solve this mystery before they make the necessary repairs and return to shore.
Donna Andrews' long-running Meg Langslow series continues to be beloved by its fans, who loyally buy every new installment. Terns of Endearment is a perfect new addition, full of laughter, adventure, and Andrews' wonderful cast of wacky characters. (less)
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Thursday, January 25, 2018
Bea Reviews Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Release Date: January 23rd, 2018
Source: the publisher in exchange for a review
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iBooks* | Barnes and Noble | Kensington | Kobo * associate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
For Florida diner owner Gia Morelli, there’s no such thing as too much breakfast—unless it kills you . . .
When Gia Morelli’s marriage falls apart, she knows it’s time to get out of New York. Her husband was a scam artist who swindled half the millionaires in town, and she doesn’t want to be there when they decide to take revenge. On the spur of the moment, she follows her best friend to a small town in Central Florida, where she braves snakes, bears, and giant spiders to open a cheery little diner called the All-Day Breakfast CafĂ©. Owning a restaurant has been her lifelong dream, but it turns into a nightmare the morning she opens her dumpster and finds her ex-husband crammed inside. As the suspect du jour, Gia will have to scramble fast to prove her innocence before a killer orders another cup of murder .
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Interview with Gia Morelli, from Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory
Today I have an interview with Gia , owner of the All Day Breakfast Cafe. She left New York and moved to Florida to open a cafe. Unfortunately, her ex-husband followed her to Florida and ended up dead in her dumpster. She took a few minutes to sit down and answer some questions.
Gia's creator, Lena Gregory, lives in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and three children. When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Review & Giveaway: Murder at the Fantasia Fair by Jeannette de Beauvoir
Publisher: HomePort Press
Source: PR firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 27th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Wedding coordinator Sydney Riley never thought she’d get caught up in a murder investigation, but she became an amateur sleuth when her boss was killed during Bear Week. Now she’s back, this time as the Race Point Inn hosts Provincetown’s venerable transgender event, Fantasia Fair… and murder is once again an uninvited guest!
It’s all hands on deck at the inn as visitors arrive for the week-long event and Sydney helps coordinator Rachel Parsons organize the occasion. Guest Elizabeth Gonzalez is attending with her spouse, Bob, who—as Angela—is taking a bold first step into a whole new existence. Angela, Elizabeth, and Sydney learn the ropes and politics from other guests, some of whom have attended annually for more than forty years.
But the next day, Sydney’s detective friend summons her to one of the town beaches where Angela’s body has been found—with a knife in her back, a knife stolen from Adrienne, the Race Point Inn’s diva chef.
Fair organizers and attendees try and carry on as Provincetown is overrun with police, press, and rampant speculation. Sydney, her boyfriend Ali, her friend Mirela, her boss Glenn, and a host of Fantasia Fair participants scramble to find out who killed Angela—and why—before the killer strikes again.
Friday, January 12, 2018
Review & Giveaway: Unbridled Murder by Leigh Hearon
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 26th, 2016
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
After horse trainer and rancher Annie Carson visits a feedlot in eastern Washington, she is determined to save as many horses from slaughter as possible before hightailing it back home—until she discovers the sleazy owner seemingly trampled in his corral. With the fate of the feedlot herd in her hands, Annie must navigate unfamiliar territory while trying to track down a killer and solve an increasingly tangled mystery. But unfortunately for Annie, returning to the Olympic Peninsula alive will be trickier than she ever imagined .
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Bea Reviews The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 5th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iBooks* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
The inimitable Faith Fairchild returns in a chilling New England whodunit, inspired by the best Agatha Christie mysteries and with hints of the timeless board game Clue
For most of her adult life, resourceful caterer Faith Fairchild has called the sleepy Massachusetts village of Aleford home. While the native New Yorker has come to know the region well, she isn’t familiar with Havencrest, a privileged enclave, until the owner of Rowan House, a secluded sprawling Arts & Crafts mansion, calls her about catering a weekend house party.
Producer/director of a string of hit musicals, Max Dane—a Broadway legend—is throwing a lavish party to celebrate his seventieth birthday. At the house as they discuss the event, Faith’s client makes a startling confession. “I didn’t hire you for your cooking skills, fine as they may be; but for your sleuthing ability. You see, one of the guests wants to kill me.”
Faith’s only clue is an ominous birthday gift the man received the week before—an empty casket sent anonymously containing a 20-year-old Playbill from Max’s last, and only failed, production—Heaven Or Hell. Consequently, Max has drawn his guest list for the party from the cast and crew. As the guests begin to arrive one by one, and an ice storm brews overhead, Faith must keep one eye on the menu and the other on her host to prevent his birthday bash from becoming his final curtain.
Full of delectable recipes, brooding atmosphere, and Faith’s signature biting wit, The Body in The Casket is a delightful thriller that echoes the beloved mysteries of Agatha Christie and classic films such as Murder by Death and Deathtrap.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Bea Reviews That Olde White Magick by Sharon Pape
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 7th 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
It’s time to work her crime-solving magic again . . .
Kailyn Wilde enjoys running her shop, Abracadabra, in the quaint New York hamlet of New Camel, where she lives with her six cats. Her family’s been here for centuries, and she’d like to keep up the tradition. But the place may never be the same if a big hotel gets built, so she does her civic duty and attends a town meeting along with her aunt Tilly . . . and Merlin. Yes, that Merlin—though he gets introduced to folks as her “distant English cousin.” The wizard is pretty grumpy about being transported here, but there are things about the modern world he doesn’t mind—like pizza.
Kailyn was prepared for a heated debate about the hotel, but she wasn’t expecting murder. When Tilly finds the body of a board member outside the schoolhouse, Kailyn doesn’t want any suspicion cast on the wrong person. She plans to crack this case, even if she has to talk to every living soul in town—plus a few departed ones.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Review & Giveaway: A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert
Series: Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #1
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 12th 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Books-A-Million | Indie Bound | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Fleeing a disastrous love affair, university librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic mountain town in Virginia. She quickly busies herself with managing a charming public library that requires all her attention with its severe lack of funds and overabundance of eccentric patrons. The last thing she needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm lures her into trouble.
Dancer-turned-teacher and choreographer Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But town folklore claims the house’s original owner was poisoned by his wife, who was an outsider. It quickly became water under the bridge, until she vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, Richard implores Amy to help him investigate the case. Amy is skeptical until their research raises questions about the culpability of the town’s leading families... including her own.
When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest in A Murder for the Books, the first installment of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Bea Reviews How the Finch Stole Christmas by Donna Andrews
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 24th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Meg's husband has decided to escalate his one-man show of Dickens' A Christmas Carol into a full-scale production with a large cast including their sons Jamie and Josh as Tiny Tim and young Scrooge and Meg helping as stage manager.
The show must go on, even if the famous―though slightly over-the-hill―actor who's come to town to play the starring role of Scrooge has brought a sleigh-load of baggage and enemies with him. And why is Caerphilly suddenly overrun with a surplus of beautiful caged finches?
How the Finch Stole Christmas! is guaranteed to put the "ho ho hos" into the holidays of cozy lovers everywhere with its gut-bustingly funny mystery.
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