Category: Book Review

Giblet & Belle, The Case of The One Still Too Many by Robert S. Lay

The Case of the One Still Too Many by Robert Lay Series: Giblet & Belle #2 on September 13th, 2022 Genres: Cozy Mystery Pages: 248 Format: ARC Source: Reedsy Discovery Buy on Amazon Goodreads Giblet & Belle are back, and this time the crime is personal… The family is taking a working vacation to the beautiful little mountain town of Busby, West Virginia. But this town holds dark secrets that some will kill to keep. Soon Belle, Giblet, and the rest of the animals are up to their whiskers in murder, moonshine, and a decade-old secret that involves one of their own. However, Belle and her mentor, Mittens, are no ordinary cats; they are highly trained Protectors, an ancient secret society helping humanity for thousands of years, always working from the shadows, with only a handful of humans who know about them. Will Giblet & Belle sort out the clues in time to prevent another murder and bring justice? “Wherever there are humans and cats, there are Protectors. Protectors, the ancient secret order of cats that have watched over and defended humans and their settlements for thousands of years, mostly without people realizing. In One Still Too Many, Giblet & […]

Posted October 29, 2022
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Missteps Perfecting the Shutterbug Strut by J.L. Michael

Missteps Perfecting the Shutterbug Strut by J.L. Michael Published by Swanky Owl Press on August 21st, 2022 Pages: 372 Format: ARC Source: Reedsy Discovery Buy on Amazon Goodreads It is 1927. An “Era of Wonderful Nonsense.” Vague maps tout grand mysteries, each snapshot means something, and jazzy hijinks abound. Insouciant vagabond ALEXANDRA ILLYRIA BATHENBROOK sets off from Montana to capture images never photographed, hoping to earn an interview with National Geographic. Operating from her London office, she will flirt with becoming a royal mistress, reunite lustful ghosts at notorious Borley Rectory, and stir up mischief at the Winter Olympics in ritzy St. Moritz. Those are the easy ones. More perilous assignments send Alexandra in pursuit of a thrill killer through the dusty alleyways of Marrakech and into the feral bushlands of Uganda to join a hunt for man-eating lions. While seeking a famed explorer in Amazonia, she must face down her inner demons in a desperate bid for survival. Along her brazen journey, she will outwit, outcharm, and outbrave detractors and rapscallions… even romance a few. Yet most telling, Alexandra will find her best self in rekindling hope within her war-scarred brother and uncovering the scandalous reason she’s forever lost […]

Posted October 24, 2022
2 Comments

Blog Tour & Author Guest Post: Too Much to Candle by Sarah E. Burr

Too Much to Candle by Sarah E. Burr Series: Glenmyre Whim Mysteries #2 Published by Independently Published on October 13th, 2022 Genres: Cozy Mystery Pages: 251 Format: ARC Source: Great Escapes Tours Buy on Amazon Goodreads Candlemaker Hazel Wickbury sets out again to bring the truth to light. Iggy Alewell, Hazel Wickbury’s friend and candle shop assistant, is eager to purchase his own home with the advance from his first big book deal. Iggy is on the hunt for something with character, so what could be better than the old Cragmire house that’s rumored to have buried treasure somewhere on its property? Hazel is thrilled her friend has found success, but things in Crucible take a nasty turn when another potential buyer for the Cragmire house goes missing. He was last seen taking a boat out on Lake Glenmyre, and when the rental is found empty, it’s clear to police that foul play is involved. What’s worse is that Iggy becomes the prime suspect in the man’s disappearance, and Detective Holden Whitfield’s thorny, new partner is certain Iggy is guilty. To clear Iggy from suspicion and dispel the darkness penetrating their beloved town, Hazel and her Aunt Poppy team up […]

Posted October 20, 2022
9 Comments

Wednesday Wisdom from The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Published by Penguin Classics on October 16th, 1959 Genres: Horror Pages: 242 Format: eBook Source: My Kindle Goodreads The greatest haunted house story ever written, the inspiration for a 10-part Netflix series directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, and Timothy Hutton First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust […]

Posted October 19, 2022
7 Comments

Bells, Tails & Murder by Kathy Manos Penn

Bells, Tails & Murder by Kathy Manos Penn Series: A Dickens & Christie Mystery #1 on February 6th, 2020 Genres: Cozy Mystery Pages: 252 Format: eBook Source: My Kindle Buy on Amazon Goodreads Do you like heroines who’ve lived a little? Who’ve suffered life’s ups and downs but kept on trucking? Then you’ll love Leta Parker and her new friends in the Cotswold village of Astonbury. When tragedy strikes Leta Parker’s life, the successful banker and closet sleuth chases a lifelong dream to retire to England. Leaving her friends and neighbors in Atlanta, she settles into Astonbury with her talkative dog and cat, Dickens and Christie. Picture her driving a refurbished London taxi to the bookshop and the tearoom, enjoying leisurely walks with Dickens the dog, and sipping coffee in the garden with Christie, her sassy cat. When Leta stumbles across the dead body of a new acquaintance, her inner Nancy Drew comes out. Before you know it, she’s enlisted the help of Wendy, a retired English teacher friend—and even Wendy’s elderly mum. Two whipsmart retirees, one spunky senior citizen, and a feisty dog and cat are on the case! Who better to unearth clues from their friends in the […]

Posted October 10, 2022
11 Comments

The Wartime Matchmakers by Lauren Smith

The Wartime Matchmakers by Lauren Smith on October 1st, 2022 Genres: Historical Fiction Pages: 650 Format: ARC Source: The History Quill Book Club Buy on Amazon Goodreads When the world went to war… they fought for love. England, 1939: The world is on the brink of war when Elizabeth Mowbray breaks her engagement with a tea planter in India and returns home to the English countryside. Desperate to escape a stifling life under her parents’ roof, she moves to London seeking adventure and excitement. With German forces sweeping across Europe, she has little hope of finding steady, fulfilling employment as England readies itself for war. A chance encounter with Henrietta, Brigadier General Byron’s daughter, sets Elizabeth on a course that will forever change her life and the lives of others. Henrietta, a recently divorced and statuesque beauty, is not a hopeless romantic like Elizabeth, but her new friend inspires her to embrace life, even as the dark fog of war creeps across the English Channel. The two enterprising young women come up with a brilliant idea to open London’s first matchmaking agency. They face numerous challenges in establishing their business in the midst of air raid drills, food and clothing […]

Posted October 8, 2022
5 Comments

Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost Volume 2 by Harry DeMaio

Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost Volume 2 by Harry DeMaio on November 8th, 2022 Genres: Mystery, Paranormal Format: ARC Source: Reedsy Discovery Buy on Amazon Goodreads “Mr. Sherlock Holmes? I am or was, Lady Juliet Armstrong, Baroness Crestwell. Having been murdered, I am deceased and require your assistance.” Thus began the strangest partnership in the long career of Sherlock Holmes. In Book One of this series we met the brash and bold, silly and sassy Lady Armstrong who wouldn’t let a simple thing like death stop her from seeking the help of the great Detective in solving the mystery of her violent and untimely demise. Further adventures followed and now in Book Two, she and her dog Pookie have become frequent companions to Holmes, Watson and yes, Mrs. Hudson. Sherlock Holmes and the Glamorous Ghost is the brainchild of author Harry DeMaio, creator of the of the famous Octavius Bear adventure series. Once again, join us for more comic and lighthearted mysteries of madcap mystical mischief and mayhem! If ever you needed to be afraid of a ghost, Lady Juliet Armstrong, Baroness Crestwell is the one I’d steer clear of. Not that she is scary in a ghostly manner, […]

Posted September 30, 2022
8 Comments

Vampires and Villains by Elizabeth Pantley

Vampires & Villains by Elizabeth Pantley Series: Magical Mystery Book Club #2 Published by Better Beginnings Inc on September 3rd, 2022 Genres: Cozy Mystery, Fantasy Pages: 250 Format: ARC Source: Author’s Copy Buy on Amazon Goodreads Paige and her joyful Aunt Glo have learned that the home they inherited comes with a magical library. They put together a book club group of loveable kooks to explore the magic. They’ve recovered from their first book journey, and they all agree on their next book which takes place on a cruise ship bound for Hawaii. Problem is, they were so excited about the cruising idea that they didn’t read the entire blurb on the back of the book. (“It was entirely too long,” explains Zell.) Once on the ship, they meet a charming and likeable man who blends seamlessly into their motley group. Too bad they don’t know why he’s so scarce during the day but shows up to join them every evening for dinner, drinks, and a show. When a dead body shows up on board, their new friend is labeled a suspect. Can they help him out by finding the real murderer? Or is he the real murderer? The book […]

Posted September 12, 2022
9 Comments

A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma by Eileen Joyce Donovan

A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma by Eileen Joyce Donovan Published by Woodhall Press on September 6, 2022 Genres: Historical Fiction Pages: 256 Format: ARC Source: The History Quill Book Club Buy on Amazon Goodreads Based on actual events, this story is set in a newspaper office in Eastern Montana in 1926. A time when the American public was obsessed with newspaper horror stories of what most today would consider ordinary murders or other man-made catastrophes. Anything that could contribute to the roar of the Roaring 20’s was commercialized, became sensational news overnight, and newspaper fodder for many days thereafter. Hence, a flood that could destroy a town became a front-page event. More than anything, Alex wants to be a journalist for a major metropolitan newspaper. A field dominated by men. Harriet Quimby and Nellie Bly notwithstanding. Although she’s covered other front-page stories, including a murder of a much loved and respected rancher, this flood will affect everyone living in Sunset Valley, if they survive. When this life changing story falls into her lap, her editor threatens to assign it to a more seasoned male reporter, or maybe cover it himself. Alex becomes frustrated at being cast aside and is determined to […]

Posted September 8, 2022
3 Comments

Ma Tutt’s Donut Hut by Lyndon Perry

Ma Tutt’s Donut Hut by Lyn Perry Series: Mack the Magical Cat Mystery #1 on July 1st, 2014 Genres: Cozy Mystery Pages: 105 Format: eBook Source: Author’s Copy Buy on Amazon Goodreads A Curious Cozy with a Magical Cat! Dolly Tutt has just opened her own bakery in the small mountain community of Sugar Pine Station. But the Creamy Pie franchise across the street is giving her fits. Her business is dying. She needs a miracle or she’ll be forced to close. Fortunately, Mack, a mysterious tabby that came with the doughnut shop, lends a paw by pointing Dolly to a magical ingredient that definitely puts the spice back in her life and rejuvenates the Donut Hut. Unfortunately, it also unleashes as series of catastrophes that may end up destroying her business once and for all. This short novel of about 100 pages is a complete adventure but contains four tales within the larger gentle mystery. Think of it in terms of a four episode mini-series with each story complete unto itself but all add up to a satisfying conclusion. I think it’s time to start describing books as famous idioms. Ma Tutt’s Donut Hut can easily be described as Sugar and Spice […]

Posted September 5, 2022
2 Comments

Category: Book Review

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