Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Rise to Rebellion by Julie Bates. This is the third book in the Faith Clarke Mystery series.

When Faith Clarke receives word that her mother is dying, she reluctantly leaves her tavern in Virginia and heads to Philadelphia to try to make peace with the woman. She’s accompanied by the taciturn Jeremy Butler who has his own mission in Philadelphia, discover who’s plotting to prevent the Patriots from meeting while keeping them safe. Both encounter multiple challenges. Faith is stunned to learn she has a half sister whom her mother begs her to find. Butler discovers a plot to harm Benjamin Franklin himself! In a world where no one can be trusted and danger lurks in every corner will the pair be successful?

Murder a la Mode Audio - A Book Blast!

 

Audio Book Murder a la Mode: Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries by Lena Gregory Read by Eleanor McCormick

 

Murder a la Mode: Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting – New York
Audiobook (April 23, 2024)  Publisher - Tantor
Audio Listening Length - 7 hours and 10 minutes

From author Lena Gregory comes a delicious new series that will warm your heart and leave you guessing until the very end...

When twenty-five-year-old Danika Delaney, black sheep of the Delaney clan, returns home to Long Island to take over Jimmie's, her eccentric uncle’s old fashioned malt shop on eastern Long Island, she’s not exactly thrilled. But things start to look up when her uncle tells her she can do whatever she’d like with the shop, and it seems she might realize her dream of a small trendy café. That is, until she discovers the body of her ex-boyfriend’s estranged wife in a melted puddle of rocky road in the malt shop basement. With her two sidekicks, her sister and a good childhood friend, in tow, Dani searches for–or stumbles upon—one clue after another. But as she narrows down the suspect list, she realizes if she’s not careful she may end up in a puddle of her own...

About Lena Gregory

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of Central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

• Newsletter: http://lenagregory.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1.
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• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts
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• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/

Purchase Links -  

Amazon - B & N - Kobo

Audiobooks Coming Soon!

] Release Date May 21, 2024  

Release Date June 25-2024

A Twinkle of Trouble - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

A TWINKLE OF TROUBLE by Daryl Wood Gerber
The Fifth Fairy Garden Mystery

Although they have a collective interest in gardening Courtney Kelly's new friends are a contentious bunch. Genevieve, a self styled influencer, has recently been panning businesses and people alike. She's even taken to bad mouthing Carmel-by-the-Sea's upcoming Summer Blooms Festival. Is it just sour grapes for not being invited to participate? Before Courtney can try to smooth things over with Genevieve, the influencer is found dead, murdered. When another in her circle becomes the prime suspect Courtney can't help but get involved.With her fairy friend Fiona by her side Courtney will dig deep to get the dirt on her new friends and find out just who's capable of murder!  

A TWINKLE OF TROUBLE is a mystery about relationships, good and bad. Romantic relationships, relationships between relatives, friends, and pets too, all come into play. I like that Courtney has found new friends, but boy, what doozies these are! Courtney thinks they're just funny, but I found Genevieve, Daphne, and Scarlet to be just plain awful! I also call into question influencers. Who are they to tell me what to like, or not like? And unless they are experts in certain things I feel the same way about product reviewers. So automatically I didn't like Genevieve and Scarlet! And that says nothing about their personalities. I don't know why Courtney would ever want to hang out with them! Stick to good people like Joss, Meaghan, Renee, and, of course, Fiona. I love how Fiona is growing and that she was mentoring her sister in the fifth Fairy Garden Mystery. I laughed at their antics and sisterly affection, and annoyance. I also love Pixie and enjoy seeing the pets of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

The mystery itself was compelling. It was obvious to see that lots of people could have wanted to kill Genevieve. But when the second murder occurs the waters become even more muddied. Surely the killings were related, but how? With lots of suspects and nasty behavior Courtney has a lot to figure out, because even though she works with the police, she doesn't just leave it to them. Which almost gets her in BIG trouble this time!

With fairy fun, good gardening, and scrumptious food A TWINKLE OF TROUBLE makes even dastardly deaths delightful.

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A Twinkle of Trouble (A Fairy Garden Mystery) by Daryl Wood Gerber

About A Twinkle of Trouble

A Twinkle of Trouble (A Fairy Garden Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 5th in Series
Setting - California
Publisher: ‎ Kensington Cozies (April 23, 2024)
Paperback: ‎ 304 pages

Carmel-by-the-Sea garden shop owner Courtney Kelly sees things others can’t—like fairies, and hidden motives for murder . . .

Courtney is delighted when her tiny friend Fiona returns from the fairy realm, appearing at the base of a Cypress tree. When her Ragdoll cat, Pixie, emerges from her own portal—aka the cat door—the three set off for a busy day. Busier than usual, since Courtney has rented a small plot of land at the Flower Farm, where she hopes to grow her own supplies for her fairy-garden business. Plus, the annual Summer Blooms Festival is coming up, and Courtney has booked a booth . . .

But the murder of Courtney’s friend, Genevieve, casts a pall over the festival. Ever since Genevieve sold her floral business, she’d been building a career as an influencer. She was perennially opinionated—but in her new role she’d become surprisingly vicious, dissing local entrepreneurs with nasty posts and unwarranted bad reviews. That’s landed a couple of Courtney’s other friends on the suspect list—including Flower Farm owner Daphne Flores. And when a second victim is discovered, seeds of doubt about Daphne’s innocence sprout in Courtney’s mind. With only a germ of a clue, Courtney will have to overturn every rock to get the dirt on the real killer . . .

About Daryl Wood Gerber

 

Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling mysteries, including the Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense including the well received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams series. Recently Daryl, who loves a challenge, published a Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. You can learn more on her website: https://darylwoodgerber.com

Author Links

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Deadly Gamble - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

DEADLY GAMBLE by Kate Parker
The Eleventh Deadly Mystery 

In 1941 Portugal is a neutral country and Lisbon a glittering city filled with both English and German businessmen and spies of various nationalities. One double agent is willing to give important information to England, but demands that his contact be a married woman. And so Olivia Redmond heads to Lisbon, in service to the spymaster once more. While it's nice to be free of nightly bombings, Livvy faces several other problems. Before she can meet with her contact he falls to his death. A search of his apartment doesn't lead to the documents, but rather the discovery of his young daughter. Livvy has to deal with annoying spies, dangerous Germans, and her own feelings as she cares for the little girl. Will Livvy be able to finish her mission, find the girl's relatives, and go home, or will Portuguese authorities put her in jail for murder?

With only a brief appearance by Sir Malcolm, the other principal characters in the series are absent from the eleventh Deadly Mystery. While I missed her interactions with Adam, as well as seeing her other friends, their absence truly gave Olivia a chance to shine on her own. And shine she did. I enjoyed how Livvy put her male counterparts in their place...and had plenty to say to certain Germans as well. DEADLY GAMBLE shows just how strong, and fierce, Livvy can be while it also shows her thought process regarding what she really wants from life.  

One of the things I like best about this series is learning new things. I never realized that Portugal was neutral during World War Two. I also love the characters, the danger, excitement, and humor found here. The plot and the historic details brought the story to life and had me completely captivated. 

DEADLY GAMBLE is a riveting story of spies and intrigue in a city trying to hold on to its luster.

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 Deadly Gamble: A World War II Mystery by Kate Parker

About Deadly Gamble

Deadly Gamble: A World War II Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery 11th in Series
Setting - Lisbon, Portugal in 1941
Publisher: ‎ JDP Press (April 16, 2024)
Print length: ‎ 255 pages

In 1940s Portugal, everyone is willing to trade secrets if the price is right.

Britain stands alone against the forces of Nazi Germany. Livvy Redmond is a young newspaperwoman determined to serve Britain’s spymaster in the face of danger. When she arrives in neutral Lisbon, she discovers a city full of spies, refugees, and the secret police.

At an elegant party to meet a double agent, Livvy witnesses him fall to his death from a balcony and must now determine what secrets he wanted to pass her. Further complicating matters, she must guard the man’s young daughter from sinister people trying to kidnap the girl.

Gambling on the assistance of British embassy staff, Livvy commits to uncovering the truth while keeping the orphan safe. With spies and traitors lurking around every corner, Livvy must race against time to learn the secret someone has already killed to keep hidden – and is willing to murder again to protect.

Deadly Gamble is the exciting eleventh book in the World War II mystery Deadly Series. If you like intrepid heroines, research-based history and clean reads, then you’ll love USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Parker’s page-turning mystery.

About Kate Parker

Kate Parker grew up inside the Beltway, when DC was a sleepy southern city and you could walk along the sidewalk directly in front of the White House. Now you can’t get within a block of the White House, and it takes Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon to house even part of what the Old State, War and Navy building held. All this fed Kate’s love of history. With retirement, Kate moved to North Carolina and took up writing historical mysteries. Now with a career spanning over a decade, Kate is a USA Today bestselling author and the Deadly Series is her longest-running series. She lives with her daughter and a 110-pound puppy.

Author Links: 

Website http://www.KateParkerbooks.com 

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/author.kate.parker/  

Purchase Links Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Apple 

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Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading A Twinkle of Trouble by Daryl Wood Gerber. This book is the fifth in the Fairy Garden Mystery series and will be released next week.

Although they have a collective interest in gardening Courtney Kelly's new friends are a contentious bunch. Genevieve, a self styled influencer, has recently been panning businesses and people alike. She's even taken to bad mouthing Carmel-by-the-Sea's upcoming Summer Blooms Festival. Is it just sour grapes for not being invited to participate? Before Courtney can try to smooth things over with Genevieve, the influencer is found dead, murdered. When another in her circle becomes the prime suspect Courtney can't help but get involved.With her fairy friend Fiona by her side Courtney will dig deep to get the dirt on her new friends and find out just who's capable of murder!

A Midnight Puzzle - A Review

 Review

A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE by Gigi Pandian
The Third Secret Staircase Mystery

 

Tempest Raj survived the loss of her career as a stage magician and has discovered that she's happy with her new life, creating architectural magic with her dad and his Secret Staircase Construction Company. But all they've worked for could come crashing down when a client decides not only to sue the company, but utterly destroy them. When that same client is found dead, impaled by a booby trapped door, suspicion falls, not only on Tempest, but the ghost of her mother! Tempest will have to solve more than one impossible crime lest her whole world go up in smoke.

 

There's nothing I hate more than a bully and Julian Rhodes was that and more. Earning his money by making up lies in order to crush people and winning, not because he was right, but because he had more money. The whole idea had my stomach in knots! I certainly wasn't sad to see him murdered, but I was sad to see that his death didn't make things easier for Tempest and her family.

I love the intellectual gymnastics A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE provides. Readers try to solve the impossible crimes along with Tempest while also trying to puzzle out her mother's disappearance and her aunt's murder. It was fascinating to see things come together, with unexpected connections and more than one surprise. 

 

As the Secret Staircase Mystery series continues, its characters make more of an impact, leaving a stronger impression. The more I get to know Tempest and her family, the more I like them. Of course, Grandpa Ash is my favorite...I only wish I could taste his amazing food. (Recipes are included, but I'd rather have him cook and share with me!) I also love the oh so smart rabbit, Abra.

 

With numerous conundrums A MIDNIGHT PUZZLE gives readers' minds a definite workout while providing love and sustenance from family and friends.

Peril in Pink - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Sydney Leigh to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Sydney writes the Hudson Valley B&B Mystery series. Peril in Pink is the first book in the series and was released last month.

Kathy: In Peril in Pink we meet Jess Byrne, owner of The Pearl B&B in Hudson Valley. Have you ever wanted to own a B&B?

SL: I’m not the best cook so not a B&B, but a small boutique motel? Absolutely!

Kathy: For The Pearl's grand opening Jess has arranged for her ex-boyfriend, a reality singing sensation, to perform. Have you ever worked with an ex?

SL: In high school I worked with an ex-boyfriend at a restaurant. It started out a little rocky but we managed to sort things out and develop a friendship after a while.

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

SL: The punny titles. I’ve always loved mysteries but when I started to notice the hilarious titles that cozies often have, I was sold.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

SL: No, I love to sprinkle in a little romance but I love the whodunnit factor that mysteries have in them.

Kathy: Tell us about your series.

SL: The Hudson Valley B&B Mystery series is a modern take on a classic genre. It’s set at a B&B and follows the lives and deaths of the people of Fletcher Lake in the Hudson Valley, in particular Jess Byrne and her best friend/business partner, Kat Miller. It’s been describe as Schitt’s Creek meets Only Murders in the Building.

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

SL: I really like Aunt Marnie. She’s Jess’s aunt and a former deadhead who followed around the Grateful Dead for years. Still a free spirit, she adds humor and heart to the book.

 

Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

SL: There is a show on Netflix called Motel Makeover about two women who gave up their corporate careers to buy an old fishing lodge and turn it into a modern motel. It had me from the first episode and I knew it was the perfect setting for my mystery series.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

SL: I’ve always dreamed of seeing my books in bookstores and sharing my stories with readers. It’s a dream come true.

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

SL: Ohhh, tough question. 1. Jane Austen 2. Agatha Christie 3. Hannah Mary McKinnon 4. Emily Henry

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

SL: Book Lovers, Emily Henry

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

SL: Aside from spending time with friends and family, I love to read, watch movies, and plot books while doing jigsaw puzzles.

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

SL: Coffee, tea, fruit, and cheese.

 

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

SL: I’m working on the second book in the Hudson Valley B&B series. I also have a brand new series publishing with Level Best Books coming out in June.

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

SL: Creating characters and sharing stories.

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 Peril in Pink (Hudson Valley B&B Mysteries) by Sydney Leigh

About Peril in Pink

Peril in Pink (Hudson Valley B&B Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Hudson Valley, New York
Publisher: ‎ Crooked Lane Books (March 19, 2024)
Hardcover: ‎ 304 pages

Everything is coming up rosé for innkeeper Jess Byrne until a murder on opening weekend gives her B&B’s killer vibe a whole new meaning.

Schitt’s Creek meets Only Murders in the Building in this sparkling debut mystery.

It’s the grand opening of The Pearl B&B in Hudson Valley, and owner Jess Byrne has prepared the ultimate, Insta-worthy welcome, complete with her ex-boyfriend—reality singing sensation Lars Armstrong—performing live. As guests check in and mimosas are poured, Lars arrives with his stepdad-turned-manager Bob in tow. But things go south when Bob is found dead, and Lars is the prime suspect.

After a desperate plea from Lars, and knowing the reputation of her B&B is at stake, Jess agrees to help clear Lars’ name, but the more she digs, the less sure she is that he’s innocent. Especially when he’s found at the scene of another murder.

With the guests under lockdown, the B&B in the press for all the wrong reasons, and a killer on the loose, Jess is in over her head. With the help of her best friend and business partner Kat, Jess is determined to uncover the truth before Lars is put behind bars and The Pearl is permanently cancelled.

About Sydney Leigh

Sydney Leigh spent several years running a seasonal business, working in the summer so she could spend cold months in cool places. Now she writes modern cozy mysteries and thinks about murder. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and served on the board of Crime Writers of Canada from 2018-2021.

Author Links: 

Website https://sydneyleighbooks.com/  

The Stiletto Gang https://www.thestilettogang.com/2023/09/26/peril-in-pink-a-new-series-by-sydney-leigh/ (I do a blog post once a month on The Stiletto Gang) 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lynn.mcpherson.7186  

Twitter/X https://twitter.com/SydneyLeighCozy  

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/173476021-peril-in-pink  

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sydneyleighmystery/  

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Bookshop.org - Koko - 

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