For Cheddar or Worse by Avery Aames, Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway

For Cheddar or Worse:
A Cheese Shop Mystery
7th in Series
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley (February 2, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-0425273326
E-Book ASIN: B00X593CK8

Synopsis

In the new Cheese Shop Mystery from the Agatha Award-winning author of As Gouda as Dead, an extra-sharp tongued cheese critic is cut down during a summer cheese festival.

It’s time for the annual Cheese Festival in Providence, Ohio, and Charlotte Bessette’s cheese shop is packed with homemade specialties. Meanwhile, her friend Erin is prepping her dairy farm and inn for cheese makers, marketers, journalists, and one surprise guest—Lara Berry, pretentious cheese whiz, pompous bestselling author, and pungent critic whose extra sharp tongue can crumble a reputation.
Even though any love for Lara by her friends curdled long ago, Charlotte is surprised when the foodie is smothered to death in her room at Erin’s inn. Accusations start flying, but the one laying blame on Erin strikes Charlotte as a crock. Now, to clear her friend’s name, Charlotte has to sift through Lara’s ex-lovers, former business partners, and unforgiving enemies to find a killer before Lara’s past casts a tainted pall on the festival’s future.

RECIPES INCLUDED

What I Thought:

I really love this series and this was another great installment.  Charlotte and Jordan are now married and they go to a local Inn for a Brain Trust.  Of, course there is a murder and Charlotte can't keep her nose out of the investigation.  There are a few suspects to this baffling murder, but as always, Charlotte is tenacious.  There is also the Cheese Festival going on with the Street Scene.  So Charlotte has a lot of distractions.  This one kept me turning the pages.  I think this series just gets better and better.  It also makes me really hungry for cheese and I end up trying cheeses that I have never tried before.  If you are looking for an entertaining, page-turner, then this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. 

About The Author

Avery Aames is the Agatha Award–winning author of The Long Quiche Goodbye and six other titles in the Cheese Shop Mystery series. As Daryl Wood Gerber, she is the nationally bestselling author of  the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, including Fudging the Books, Stirring the Plot, Inherit the Word, and Final Sentence. Like her protagonist, Avery is an admitted foodie. Prior to writing, Avery (aka Daryl) acted on stage and television, including on Murder, She Wrote. Don’t forget to sign up for her fan club so you can be entered in all her contests! You’ll find that fan club on her website! Visit her website at www.darylwoodgerber.com.

Author Links
www.darylwoodgerber.com
www.facebook.com/darylwoodgerber
www.twitter.com/darylwoodgerber
www.twitter.com/averyaames
www.goodreads/darylwoodgerber
www.goodreads/averyaames
www.pinterest/darylwoodgerber
Blog: www.mysteryloverskitchen.com (Blog Wednesdays)
Purchase Links
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Cheddar-Worse-Cheese-Shop-Mystery/dp/0425273326/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447100196&sr=8-1&keywords=for+cheddar+or+worse
B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-cheddar-or-worse-avery-aames/1121863802?ean=9780425273326

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I Flip through Cookbooks for Inspiration

By Avery Aames aka Daryl Wood Gerber

I need to eat gluten-free. It’s much easier nowadays because there are lots of products on the market that are gluten-free. Read the labels and you’ll see!

I'd like to share with you a recipe I found in the cookbook: The Gluten-Free Baking Book. This is an easy book to understand. There are lots of combos of recipes so you can play in the kitchen. I fell in lust with the one called Cheddar and Bacon Cornbread. What's not to like?  

Now, I toyed with this recipe. I often do tweak. I simplified the gluten-free flour selections. I also added a bit more cheese on top of the muffins about two minutes before they completed baking. Yum!  My cheese monger, Charlotte, would highly approve.

* NOTE: Though I've provided a gluten-free recipe, you can substitute regular flours for the sweet rice flour and tapioca starch and eliminate the xanthan gum and you're good to go for regular diets. You don't have to find GF creamed corn or GF bacon, either.  See how easy it is to make things gluten-free and then convert back?   (See below)

So do you or your loved ones have any dietary restrictions? If so, how do you cope?

CHEDDAR BACON CORNBREAD

(Gluten-free or regular)

Ingredients:

     1 large egg

     3/4 cup creamed corn (make sure it’s gluten-free if necessary)

     1/3 cup cornmeal

     1/3 cup sweet rice flour

     1/4 cup tapioca starch or (more sweet rice flour)

     1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

     1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

     1 teaspoon baking powder

     1/2 teaspoon baking soda

     1/4 teaspoon salt

     4 slices of crisp bacon, crumbled

     1/2 half cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Set 6-8 cupcake holders in a cupcake tray.

In a small bowl, combine the egg and creamed corn. Set aside.

In large bowl, set the cornmeal, gluten-free flours, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir.

Add crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese.  Stir. It will be thick.

Scoop mixture into 6-8 cupcake holders.

Bake 20-22 minutes until tester (toothpick) comes out clean.

Serve warm.

By the way, if you don’t have a toothpick, you can use a piece of  spaghetti or shish kebab skewer as a tester.

Giveaway:

Avery aka Daryl is giving away 1 copy of winner’s choice of CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY, including FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE. Leave a comment!

Bio:

Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author DARYL WOOD GERBER writes the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, set in the fictional coastal town of Crystal Cove, California.  As Avery Aames, she also writes the Cheese Shop Mysteries, set in quaint Providence, Ohio. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote”. She loves to cook and read and has a darling, frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky. Visit Daryl or Avery at www.darylwoodgerber.com.

Plain Dead by Emma Miller

Plain Dead
by Emma Miller

Plain Dead
(An Amish Mystery)
3rd in Series
Cozy Mysteries
Publisher: Kensington (December 29, 2015)
Paperback: 272 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0758291769
E-Book ASIN: B00VQFKFT4

Synopsis

When a newspaperman is murdered in the Amish community of Stone Mill, Pennsylvania, Rachel Mast digs up the dirt to find out who wanted to bury the lead…

Although she left her Old Order Amish ways in her youth, Rachel discovered corporate life in the English world to be complicated and unfulfilling. Having returned to Stone Mill, she’s happy to be running her own B&B. But she’s also learning—in more ways than one—that the past is not always so easily left behind.

After local newspaperman Bill Billingsly is found gagged and tied to his front porch, left to freeze overnight in a snowstorm, Detective Evan Parks—Rachel’s beau—uncovers a file of scandalous information Billingsly intended to publish, including a record of Rachel pleading no contest to charges of corporate misconduct. Though Evan is certain of her innocence, it’s up to Rachel to find the real killer. A closer examination of the victim’s unpublished report leads Rachel to believe the Amish community is far from sinless. But if she’s not careful her obituary might be the next to appear in print…

What I Thought:

This is a wonderful series and this was a great installment in that series.  I really like Rachel, she is truly stuck in two different worlds. She still has her Amish roots and values, but she wants to be in the English world, and knows how to survive in that world too.  She seems to always get herself stuck in a murder investigation, much to the chagrin on her boyfriend Evan.  This time, Rachel is a suspect herself!  So of course Rachel has to try to find out who the real killer is.  She is also busy running Stone Mill's first Winer Frolic, so Rachel is a very busy girl.  This book grabbed my attention and kept it through out.  I couldn't wait to find out who the killer was, and when each suspect was proven innocent, I was even more anxious to find out who the killer was, and it is a total surprise.  If you are looking for and interesting, well written book, that will keep you turning pages, then this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

About The Author

Emma Miller is the author of Redeeming Grace and Anna's Gift. She lives with her family in Kent County, Delaware
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25310469-plain-dead

Purchase Links
Amazon

IndieBound - http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780758291769

B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/plain-dead-emma-miller/1121697400?ean=9780758291769

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Murder at the Grill by Christa Nardi

Murder at the Grill
by Christa Nardi

Murder at the Grill
(Cold Creek Book 3)
Cozy Mystery
Self Published
Print Length: 204 pages
ASIN: B016X7FZWQ

Synopsis

An amateur sleuth, Sheridan Hendley jumps at the chance to work with the defense when a favorite waitress is arrested for the murder of her ex-husband. Determined to prove Zoe’s innocence Sheridan probes into the victim’s past and why he chose to return to Cold Creek 15 years after the divorce. Personalities clash and Zoe’s family closes ranks as Sheridan attempts to unlock the carefully kept secrets of the family that owns and operates the Grill. The closer she gets to finding the truth, the more her own life might be in danger – a situation that strains her increasingly serious relationship with Detective Brett McMann.

What I Thought:

I was a little lost in this one because I haven't read the first two in this series.  This one apparently picks up where the last one left off.  It is well written and has a very good plot.  I thought it was pretty fast paced because you learn of the murder in the very first chapter.  I liked all the characters in this book and I also liked the setting.  If you are looking for a fast-paced, entertaining read, then this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

About The Author

Christa Nardi is and always has been an avid reader. Her favorite authors have shifted from Carolyn Keene and Earl Stanley Gardner to more contemporary mystery/crime authors over time, but mystery/crime along with romance and scifi/fantasy are her preferred choices for leisure reading. Christa also has been a long time writer from poetry and short stories to the Cold Creek series, Christa has joined many other reader/writers in writing one genre she enjoys reading – the cozy mystery. The series started with Murder at Cold Creek College; Murder in the Arboretum is the second in the series. Murder at the Grill is the third. Christa Nardi is a pen name for a real life professor/psychologist from the Northeast who is well published in nonfiction and technical venues.

Author Links

@ChristaN7777

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7257539.Christa_Nardi

https://www.facebook.com/christa.nardi.5



Purchase Link
Amazon


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Days of Wine and Roquefort by Avery Aames

Picture and synopsis from Goodreads:

Murder, like Roquefort, stinks...

Cheese Shop owner Charlotte Bessette’s life seems quieter than ever with her fiancé out of town and her cousin Matthew and his children out of the house. But before she can put up her feet and enjoy a glass of chardonnay, Matthew asks her to play host to Noelle Adams, a bright sommelier visiting to help grow business for the local winery.

An affable wine aficionado, Noelle is paired well with the cheese expert Charlotte—but something seems to be troubling the secretive houseguest, and Charlotte’s life is upended when she finds the sparkling woman dead. Between Noelle’s hotheaded ex,  the cagey owners of the winery, its jaded manager, and a wily reporter, Charlotte has her pick of suspects, but she needs to act fast—this is a mystery that only gets more dangerous with age.

What I Thought:

This was a great addition to a really great series.  I love visiting the town of Providence and all of it's quirky inhabitants.  Charlotte is a great protagonist and she usually ends up getting herself into some sticky situations.  This book kept me guessing till the very end.  Charlotte wasn't sure who the killer was till the very end either.  This book grabbed my attention and kept me enthralled the whole way through. My mouth watered most of the time from the descriptions of the luscious cheeses that Charlotte sells.  There were also so laugh-out-loud moments in this book between two of the town's shop keepers.  I really look forward to more in this series.  If you are looking for a fast paced, exciting story that will keep you guessing and turning the pages, then this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. 

Cinnamon Toasted by Gail Oust

Cinnamon Toasted: A Spice Shop Mystery
(Spice Shop Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Minotaur Books (December 15, 2015)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1250011060
E-Book ASIN: B00Y7S5222

Synopsis

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Case in point: Piper Prescott’s former mother-in-law Melly. Beneath her twin sets and pearls beats the heart of a geek—a geek whose programming changes for the point-of-sale software in Piper’s shop have the owners of the program ready to make her an offer she can’t refuse. “Trusty” Rusty Tulley and Chip Balboa swing by Brandywine Creek—just in time for the town’s annual Oktoberfest, which has cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom flying off Piper’s shelves in record numbers. News spreads faster than a text message, and Melly is the toast of the town.

But it isn’t long before Melly’s status changes to public enemy number one when Chip’s body is found at the foot of her basement stairs. Questions start to pile up when handsome police chief Wyatt McBride arrives on the scene and the coroner sets the time of death for the previous evening. McBride wants to know why it took Melly so long to report the incident—especially after she admits to arguing with Chip about the contract he wanted her to sign. Piper knows Melly would never hurt a fly, so she enlists the help of her BFF Reba Mae to clear her name—but can they find the real killer before Melly gets sent away for good? A mouth-watering entry in Gail Oust’s delicious Spice Shop series, Cinnamon Toasted is sure to delight cozy fans of all stripes.

What I Thought:

This was a very good book that caught my attention and kept it till I closed the back cover.  I really enjoy visiting Brandywine Creek and Piper and all of her eccentric friends.  Piper always seems to get herself mixed up in a murder investigation, and this time, her ex-mother-in-law, Melly, is the prime suspect.  Piper and her BFF, Reba Mae, get themselves into some sticky situations trying to find the real killer.  When all of Piper's theories prove wrong, she wonders if she will ever find out who the killer is and clear Melly's name.  This one was a huge surprise.  I loved the writing in this cozy, and I feel like I know the characters personally.  I look forward to reading more about Piper and her friends.  Great job, Gail.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

About The Author

Friends often accuse Gail Oust of flunking retirement.  While working as a nurse/vascular technologist, Gail penned nine historical romances under the pseudonym Elizabeth Turner for Avon, Pocket, Berkley, and Kensington.  It wasn’t until she and her husband retired to South Carolina that inspiration struck for a mystery.  Hearing the words, “maybe it’s a dead body,” while golfing with friends fired her imagination for the Bunco Babe Mystery series originally published by NAL.  In conjunction with Beyond the Page Publishing, the Bunco Babe series has  been republished in digital format as the Kate McCall Mysteries complete with new titles and a whole new look.  Gail is currently writing the Spice Shop Mysteries for Minotaur/St. Martin’s.  When she isn’t reading, writing, or sleeping, she can usually be found on the golf course or hanging out with friends.

Author Links
Links:  www.gailoust.com, Gail Oust Author on Facebook, and Goodreads.
Purchase Links
Amazon B&N  Google Play

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Bun for Your Life by Karoline Barrett Review and Guest Post

Bun for Your Life
(A Bread and Batter Mystery)
Publisher: InterMix (November 17, 2015)
Cozy Mystery
ASIN: B00PHV81DK

Synopsis:

As the co-owners of Bread and Batter Bakery in Destiny, New York, Molly Tyler and Olivia Williams have plenty on their plates. Molly is recently divorced and looking for a place to live, but they’re also both preparing for Destiny’s annual Apple Harvest Fair. The bakery has a booth where they’ll be selling not only delicious cupcakes and cider doughnuts, but also tote bags and t-shirts emblazoned with the bakery’s logo.

Tensions rise at the fair when local orchard owner Calista Danforth discovers organizers have assigned her usual booth to Bread and Batter. Although a heated argument ensues between her and Molly, the bakery manages to rake in lots of dough. But when Calista is found strangled to death with one of their t-shirts, Molly is named the prime suspect. Now these two friends must whip up some answers quickly before the future of their business crumbles…

What I Thought:

This was a pretty fun read.  I thought it went a little fast though, it would be one day then the next part of the book would be a week or two later, but that is okay.  This book was filled with great characters who had great relationships, especially Molly and Olivia.  Molly also has a good relationship with her ex-husband. When Molly gets in an argument with the Apple Harvest Queen and she is then found dead, Molly of course is the main suspect.  This one kept me guessing and I really like that in a cozy.  I look forward to more in this series. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

About The Author –

After having several short stories published, I decided to tackle novel writing a few years ago. My first book, The Art of Being Rebekkah, is women’s fiction. Since the genre I love is mystery, my agent suggested I write one. I’m so glad she did! I recently signed with Penguin/Intermix for my Bread and Batter cozy mystery series. The first two books, Bun For Your Life and Raisin The Dead, coming soon!
I’ve live in lots of different places during my life. At the moment, I’m in a small Connecticut town with my husband. When I’m not writing, I’m either reading, spending time by the water, traveling, indulging in social media, accompanying above-mentioned husband to New York Yankees games, or doing anything that does not involve math.

Author Links
Webpage      http://www.karolinebarrett.com/
  Blog                http://www.karolinebarrett.com/category/blog/
Facebook      https://www.facebook.com/KarolineBarrettBooks
Twitter          https://twitter.com/KarolineBarrett
Goodreads   http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3315555.Karoline_Barrett
Purchase Links
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
KOBO
iTunes
Google Play Store

Writing a Cozy Mystery Series

Karoline Barrett

Melina’s Book Blog

 

Hi everyone! I’m excited to be here today to talk about writing my Bread & Batter cozy mystery series. Thanks to Melina’s Book Blog for hosting me!

Mystery is my go-to reading genre, especially cozy ones. As far as writing one myself, I’d thought about it for a half-second in the past, but I doubted my ability to come up with a suitable victim, never mind figuring out who, what, why, where, how, and when.  

Then my agent gave me a gently push in that direction, and the more I thought about it, the more the idea of writing my own mystery series appealed to me. I chose Destiny as my setting, a fictitious bucolic small town in upstate New York, surrounded by apple orchards and vineyards. Why the name Destiny? New York is a big state, all my other name choices were taken! Destiny has a nice ring to it, though, don’t you think?

I wanted my protagonist’s name to be Molly. I wanted her to own Bread & Batter Bakery with her best friend, Olivia. Not a lot to start with, but by the time the Destiny Apple Harvest Fair got under way, a new detective arrived in town, and my killer struck, it all began to make sense.  

So, what do I like most about writing a mystery series?   

1.      Entertaining readers!

 

2.      The bad guys!

 

3.      Plot twists!

 

4.      No mourning period when a book is done, there will be another!

 

5.       No going through character withdrawal, since they’re coming back!

 

6.      My characters become like a favorite t-shirt: comforting and familiar!

 

7.      I know how exactly how my characters are going to react to everything. Or, do I? Hmmmm…

 

8.      Creating sup-plots with secondary characters!

 

9.      Writing about my characters becomes second nature!

 

10.  Humor. I love humor in my mysteries. I’m a big fan of Ann B. Ross and Janet Evanovich. I find both of them hilarious. I put a lot of humor into my books.

 

 

 

 

 

11.  I get to take Crime Scene Investigation classes, and do internet searches for things like death by strangulation; how to poison someone with plants; ricin poisoning; puffer fish; ovo lacto vegetarianism; autopsies; frogs; and the Three Stooges (they don’t actually have anything to do with my book, that’s just where I ended up on the Internet that particular day.)

 

12.  I talk to, and email, people about fascinating subjects like apple breeding; Nancy Drew; land surveying; head injuries; police procedures in a small town; mounted police department protocol; nursing stuff, and library expansions!

 

13.  Coming up with interesting friends for my main character!

 

14.  Endless plot ideas. I’ve finished books one and two in my series, started book three, and have ideas for a few more!

 

15.  Dogs!   

 

16.  Contests for readers! I did my first contests recently, and was surprised at how much I love giving stuff away.  

 

Now for a few things, for me, aren’t so great about writing a mystery series:

1.      Amnesia while writing subsequent books. Who has brown hair? Who has green eyes? How many members were there on my police department again? What are the names of those characters in the book club I want to bring back?

 

2.      How many different ways to kill someone can I come up with?   

 

3.      How many people in town die before everyone packs up and hightails it out of there?

 

4.      What can I distract my detective with, so that Molly can step in and solve the mystery?

 

Luckily, the great things about writing a series outnumber the not-so-great things. I hope all of you enjoy reading my books as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them!

Yarned and Dangerous by Sadie Hartwell

 

 

 

 

Yarned and Dangerous
(A Tangled Web Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
New Series
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Kensington (November 24, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1617737176
ASIN: B00U7LJOEK

Synopsis

Time has not been kind to sleepy Dorset Falls, Connecticut, where an erstwhile resident is hoping to bring a tattered yarn shop back to life—but with a murderer on the loose, the whole town is in knots…

Josie Blair left Dorset Falls twelve years ago in hopes of making it big in New York City. But after earning an overpriced master’s degree and getting fired by a temperamental designer, she finds herself heading back to her hometown. Her great-uncle was injured in a car accident, and newly unemployed Josie is the only person available to take care of him. Uncle Eb’s wife didn’t survive the crash, so Josie is also tasked with selling the contents of her Aunt Cora’s yarn shop. But the needling ladies of the Charity Knitters Association pose a far bigger challenge than a shop full of scattered skeins…

Miss Marple Knits is one of the few businesses still open in the dreary downtown. Josie can’t imagine how it stayed open for so long, yet something about the cozy, resilient little shop appeals to her. But when one of the town’s most persnickety knitters turns up dead in a pile of cashmere yarn, Josie realizes there’s something truly twisted lurking beneath the town’s decaying façade…

INCLUDES ORIGINAL KNITTING PATTERNS!

What I Thought:

I was captivated by this book from the very beginning.  It is very well written and it is filled with some great characters, some are pretty cantankerous and eccentric, but that makes the book fun.  I really like the banter between Uncle Eb  and Roy Woodruff.  Josie has come back to care for her cranky Uncle Eb after an accident broke his leg and took the life of her Aunt Cora.  Josie is tasked with closing Cora's yarn shop and there is some interest in buying the inventory.  When Josie finds a dead body in the storeroom of the yarn shop, things really get interesting.  I really enjoyed visiting Josie and the town and people of Dorset Falls, I can't wait to visit again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

About The Author –

Sadie Hartwell grew up near the Canadian border in northern New York State, where it’s cold, dark, and snowy almost half the year—a perfect environment for nurturing a simultaneous love of mystery fiction and needlework. She attended St. Lawrence University, graduating with a degree in history, and has worked as a waitress, handbag designer/manufacturer, paralegal, and copy editor before turning to writing full time. Now she gets to play with yarn and make up stories whenever she wants, and wishes everyone had a job as much fun as hers.

http://www.sadiehartwell.com/
Twitter – @SadieHartwell
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Sadie-Hartwell-655978644458158/timeline/

Purchase Links
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