Melina's Book Blog: February 2023

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones

Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones: A Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mystery by Heather Weidner

About Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones

Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones: A Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mystery Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Virginia Level Best Books (January 17, 2023) Print length ‏ : ‎ 277 pages Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BS9ZN3DG GoodReads Link - Coming Soon

When a beat-up suitcase full of bones washes up by the pier, the residents of the quaint resort town of Mermaid Bay are whipped into a hurricane-sized frenzy over the gruesome find in the middle of their Christmas in July festivities. The holly jolly mood retreats like the tide with everyone wondering who was in the suitcase.

Christmas shoppe owner, Jade Hicks, wades into the fracas when voodoo dolls and mysterious notes and posters about impending doom start popping up all over town, threatening to destroy the economy of a community that lives and dies by tourist dollars. Then tensions crest when the prickly bookstore owner is found strangled to death with a string of holiday lights.

Jade and her French bulldog Chloe, have to solve the crime before anyone else gets hurt and her business and the festival are forever tainted. Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones is the first in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries cozy series.

What I Thought:

This is the first book in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mystery Series, and the first book I have read by Heather. Honestly, I thought it started out a little strange, but I soon got emersed in the story and literally could not put it down until I literally fell asleep, and thankfully, I had the next day off work so I could pick it right back up the next morning. I really liked Jade and thought she was a well developed character. And of course I loved her little Frenchie, Chloe as I have a Jack Russell named Chloe. I thought the plot was well thought out and believable. The other characters in Mermaid Bay were likable as well. The setting was great. I was left guessing until the end of the story, I kind of had some of the story figured out, but I was wrong as to who the mastermind behind everything was. I will definitely be reading more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Heather Weidner

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Sisters in Crime – Chessie, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.

Author Links Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HeatherBWeidner/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-weidner-0064b233?trk=hp-identity-name BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heather_weidner_author YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyBjyB0zz-M1DaM-rU1bXGA?view_as=subscriber Purchase Link - Amazon

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Cover Reveal: Stalking Around the Christmas Tree

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Tis the season to solve a murder—and innkeeper Holly White knows she’ll have to make her list and check it twice if she wants to catch the killer in the fourth Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

For inn keeper Holly White, Christmas time in Mistletoe, Maine, is the ultimate holiday gift. Business at the Reindeer Games Inn is booming, her wedding to Sheriff Evan Gray is nearly here, and the annual parade is about to begin. The town is lucky to have another gift this year with the state’s ballet company staying for several performances of The Nutcracker. But disaster strikes when Tiffany, the lead ballerina, shows up dead on a float during the parade, the Rat King’s mask nearby. Holly will have to spruce up her sleuthing skills if she wants to catch the killer before Christmas—and her wedding day.

Immediately, Holly discovers that Tiffany had more than a few secrets. She finds out that the star of the show had a super fan that no one knows anything about. And the show’s understudy slips some other intriguing information Holly’s way: not only was Tiffany secretly seeing someone romantically, but there seems to be more than one rat in this company. When Holly discovers a secret passage leading to Tiffany’s dressing room, with footprints leading out; she wonders if this is evidence of a secret lover—or a stalking killer.

With an impending snowstorm and the ballet company on the way out of town, Holly must act quickly if she wants to find the person responsible for this terrible murder. Will she be able to save Christmas—or will her investigation turn cold like the weather?

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stalking-Around-Christmas-Tree-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BSKZ1YNV/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stalking-around-the-christmas-tree-jacqueline-frost/1142954176

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Canter with a Killer

Canter with a Killer (A Horse Rescue Mystery) by Amber Camp

About Canter with A Killer

Canter with a Killer (A Horse Rescue Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Arkansas Crooked Lane Books (October 11, 2022) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639101802 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639101801 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09S3G8PDD

Perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Mollie Cox Bryan, Amber Camp’s debut novel will have you galloping through the pages, as a horse rescue owner races to find a killer and clear her name.

Mallory Martin left her marriage and her unfulfilling job to move back to her hometown of Hillspring, Arkansas, and start a horse rescue. It’s everything she’s been missing, with paddocks of happy horses and one very quirky donkey. But when her cantankerous neighbor and longtime critic, Albert Cunningham, is found murdered in his fancy show barn, Mallory becomes suspect number one. Since Sheriff Grady Sullivan is ignoring all good sense and focusing only on Mallory, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

Aided by her best friend, Lanie, and rescue volunteer Tanner, Mallory races headlong into the investigation in search of the real killer. But horses and murder aren’t the only thing on her mind when she meets Albert’s handsome son, Braydon. Sparks fly, and soon she’s got a new boyfriend. But there’s a case to be solved, and she redoubles her efforts to learn the truth.

The suspects mount quickly. There’s Albert’s girlfriend, Kathleen, who was on the farm when he was murdered; organic farmer Heather Rogers, who accused Albert of contaminating her creek; and Philip Atwood, who’d been trying for a right-of-way across Albert’s farm. None of the evidence is holding up though, and Mallory learns that she'll need to take the reins on this investigation if she's going to clear her own name.

What I Thought:

This was a very interesting book that basically kept my attention form the very beginning until the end. While I am not an equestrian by any means, I thought this book was very good and I enjoyed reading about Mallory and her horse rescue. When Mallory's neighbor and owner of a thoroughbred farm is murdered, Mallory is the main suspect. It seems the police do not want to look at anyone else for the murder, so Mallory has to use her past investigative skills as a nurse investigator to prove she is innocent. Mallory thinks she has figures out who the killer is several times, but she finds out the person has an alibi and has to go back to the drawing board. I enjoyed the setting of this book and the relationships both human and animal in this story. The reveal in this one is great and even though I had not figured it out completely, I thought it would go something like it did. I will definitely read more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Amber Camp

Amber has lived in Northwest Arkansas for twenty+ years, working as an RN at a rural hospital in the area. She has a menagerie of animals that includes dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and what has been described as the Mule from Hell, which may or may not be a slight exaggeration. Writing has always been a focus in Amber's life, something she describes as "food for my soul." An avid reader since grade school, she enjoys multiple genres and is always looking for new authors to add to her favorites. Amber is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.