When the Grits Hit the Fan

When the Grits Hit the Fan (A Country Store Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Kensington (March 28, 2017)
ISBN-13: 978-1617739293
E-Book ASIN: B01GBAIXGK

Synopsis

Despite the bitter winter in South Lick, Indiana, business is still hot at Robbie Jordan’s restaurant. But when another murder rattles the small town, can Robbie defrost the motives of a cold-blooded killer?

Before she started hosting dinners for Indiana University’s Sociology Department at Pans ‘N Pancakes, Robbie never imagined scholarly meetings could be so hostile. It’s all due to Professor Charles Stilton, who seems to thrive on heated exchanges with his peers and underlings, and tensions flare one night after he disrespects Robbie’s friend, graduate student Lou. So when Robbie and Lou go snowshoeing the next morning and find the contentious academic frozen under ice, police suspect Lou might have killed him after their public tiff. To prove her friend’s innocence, Robbie is absorbing local gossip about Professor Stilton’s past and developing her own thesis on the homicide—even if that means stirring up terrible danger for herself along the way . . .

What I Thought:

This was another great installment to the Country Store Mystery Series.  Robbie has only been running her restaurant for a couple of months and has encountered a couple murders and murderers already.  In this installment, her and her friend Lou are out on a snowshoe walk when they find the body of a local professor in the lake.  Of course, Lou is a major suspect because she had a public argument with the professor at Robbie's restaurant the night before.  So, of course, Robbie has to investigate and gets herself into some scraps to prove her friend Lou is innocent. There a many twists and turns in this book and the writing is superb.  I was left guessing till the very end because there is not a shortage of suspects to choose from.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About The Author

Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-nominated author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and three cats in Massachusetts.

As Edith Maxwell, she write the Local Foods Mysteries (Kensington Publishing) and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Midnight Ink).
You can find all Maddie’s/Edith’s identities at www.edithmaxwell.com. She blogs every week day with the other Wicked Cozy Authors at wickedcozyauthors.com. Look for her as Edith M. Maxwell and Maddie Day on Facebook and @edithmaxwell and @maddiedayauthor on Twitter.

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Season of Hope

 

 

 

Book Details:

 

Book Title:  Season of Hope by Sara Jane Jacobs

​Category:  Adult fiction,  186 pages

Genre:  Inspirational Romance

Publisher:  Clean Reads

Release date:  March 28, 2017

Tour dates:  March 27 to April 14, 2017

Content Rating:   PG + M for physical abuse scene (husband and wife) and three kissing scenes (two of those between husband and wife) The rest of the book aligns with the G rating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Description:

When Amanda Jarvis prays that a special friend will move into the vacant house near her isolated mountain home, she isn’t upset when God sends a boy instead of a girl. But Amanda’s not the only one receiving unexpected answers to her prayers. After fleeing with his mother from an abusive father, Tyler Armstrong finds much-needed love and acceptance with Amanda’s family over the next ten years.

As high school graduation nears, Tyler is shocked when one carefree afternoon with Amanda churns up an inner turmoil he would have never imagined; he’s crushing on his best friend. And for the first time in his life he’s hiding a secret from Amanda. Convinced the timing is all wrong, Tyler pushes his feelings aside as he and Amanda prepare for the future. He will soon begin training to pursue his dream of becoming a Navy Seal, while Amanda makes plans to spend the summer in Manhattan with her aunt and then return home to the community college.

When Amanda’s summer job catapults her into a modeling career, she readily accepts the much-needed distraction. Tyler’s impending deployment is turning her world upside down. Along with the fact that she’s falling for her best friend. And, for the first time in her relationship with Tyler, she’s hiding a secret, too.

Phoebe Garrison, Amanda’s controlling aunt, is thrilled when she is given the power to act on behalf of her underage niece. Bored with her Fortune 500 advertising agency, becoming Amanda’s manager is just what she’s been looking for to rekindle her aspirations. But as Tyler becomes aware of Phoebe’s obsession to push Amanda into supermodel status, tensions rise. As the three of them become entangled in a mass of concealed ambition and desire, each will make decisions that will send ripples of turbulence across their futures.

Buy the Book: Amazon  ~  Add to Goodreads

Author’s Bio:

I began writing as a hobby while raising my two children. In 2015, I dusted off my stories and my dreams to see if I could turn my hobby into a career. My first story, Season of Hope, was inspired by summer vacations which always included a trip to Franklin, North Carolina, to visit family and explore The Smoky Mountains.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time with family and most anything that involves being outdoors, especially camping and hiking. I currently live along the Emerald Coast of Florida and never complain about the hot, humid summers, because that’s exactly how I like them!

Connect with the author:

Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook ~ Pinterest  ~  Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Big and Fabulous

Title:
BIG & FABULOUS, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BRENDA CANKLES

Author: Randi Sherman

Publisher: Friesen Press

Pages: 282

Genre: Humor Fiction

The time for BIG & Fabulous, The Life and Times of
Brenda Cankles is now! The emphasis is on positive body image, Big &
Fabulous is a truly entertaining story that’s strongly written, funny,
insightful and bitingly smart. Inside it’s covers, readers will find no
shortage of acidly hilarious accounts of the highs and lows of living life
inside a big and fabulous body.

Imperfect, impervious and improving Brenda Cankles is an
unlikely heroine. Unfazed by the enduring censure of society, she is determined
to realize the fabulous life that she has always believed is her destiny.

Brenda’s story – written in unflinching first person – is
utterly unvarnished. Here, find a fantastically real person, sometimes
struggling to fit in, but mostly giving the rest of the world the mother-lovin’
bird. From her clunky childhood, through her stumbling yet optimistic
adolescence to her full figured and unapologetic emergence into adulthood.
Brenda is a special brand of warrior. She is big, bold and beautiful. While the
quirky cast of characters who surround her is eternally insistent that Brenda
live her life in the background and fit into society’s mold, she will have none
of it.

Author, Randi Sherman’s experience as a stand-up comedienne
is evident as she delivers, BIG & Fabulous, The Life and Times of Brenda
Cankles, the hilarious, often laugh-out-loud novel about the inner most thoughts
Brenda Cankles, a very real character who is confident and brave enough to
expect the world to accept her on her terms.

BIG & Fabulous, The Life and Times of Brenda Cankles is Sherman’s
fifth novel, her fourth THE LOBBY has won 17 Awards for Humor and General
Fiction.

Watch the book trailer at YouTube.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Amazon
| Barnes
& Noble

Book Excerpt:

DEAR SOCIETY,

We have a big
job ahead of us. In elementary school, I will be "the fat kid" with a
wild imagination. In high school, I'll try to fit in but won't. I will be an
outcast, considered lumbering and awkward. No one, including my family, will expect
much from me because I won't be like the other girls. Being a big and a
bold  and a brash  girl, I will be  the focus   of
your attention as you advise me to stifle myself, adjust my enthusiasm, and be
grateful for any attention I  receive.

To  the
bullies and doubters, let me be the  first to  thank  you in
advance for continually reminding me that I have the potential to end up as
someone's dusty spinster aunt who shares a can of bargain tuna with seventeen
cats, or that weird neighbor you see but try desperately to  avoid.

Although it's
hard to believe, I will cherish our relation­ship because you, Society, will
never ignore me. I don't know what I will do or have done to garner so much of
your atten­tion and devotion. I'm sure you have other and more impor­tant
things to do, like creating jobs, housing the homeless,
raising money to cure cancer, and feeding the
hungry. But, no, you will dedicate television shows and magazine articles to
me, and spend your valuable time and energy compar­ing what it is
that you consider "perfect" to my reality and encourage me to change
into someone "typical." I know it will be exhausting for
you.

I have to
admit that there will be times when my self-­esteem will be tested. Other
times, I'll be a non-believer, and want to give up, possibly disappointing you.

Because of
your often obsessive yet unwavering attention and dedication to making me aware
of my shortcomings­ or, worse, your condescending and hollow and self-serving
attempts to encourage me to accept my "inadequacies" and situation -
you will present me with a challenge. It will take all of my strength and
determination, but I will dig deep within myself to realize I have the
potential to be fabulous.

Like fine
wine, opera, and stinky cheese, I am valuable, an acquired taste, and, like all
treasures, I should be appreciated and celebrated.

Like it or
not, whether you intend it or not, I just might turn out to be a wise,
compassionate, creative, funny, gener­ous, and a kind person. You see, I have
the ability to learn and grow.

Yes, I am big
and I am bold, and I accept your challenge. Be forewarned. I will be a force to
be reckoned with because   I am special. I am beautiful and I am
a superhero. Now, get the fuck off my cape. I have things to do.

Sincerely,

Brenda
Merle  Cankles, "The Big One"

What I Thought:

This is a book that any "big girl" can relate too.  I like how it shows that societies view of "pretty" is not always true.  This is a good book because it gives a positive view of any body image.  It was well written with well developed characters that made it an easy read.  Great job Randi Sherman, this was a very well rounded book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About the Author

Randi M Sherman is the award winning author of humorous
fiction books.

With an eye for detail, an ear for well-tuned dialogue and
an incredible grasp of the obvious, all honed while performing stand-up comedy
in Los Angeles and improvisational
theater in San Francisco, Sherman
adds just enough bawdiness to deliver character-driven contemporary novels that
will have the reader laughing, thinking and connecting with the characters in
her books.

A native Californian, Randi makes her home in California's
wine country. Trying her hand at country living Randi describes herself the Eva
Gabor of the Sonoma/Napa area.

Randi earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Chapman
University.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Murder at the Fortune Teller's Table

Murder at the Fortune Teller's Table
by Janet Finsilver

Murder at the Fortune Teller's Table
(A Kelly Jackson Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Kensington Publishing Corporation/Lyrical Underground (March 14, 2017)
Paperback - Approx 200 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1616509347
Kindle ASIN: B01HA435CI

Poisons, prophecies—and a peculiar past . . .

When a local woman begins searching for a couple she hasn’t seen since the 1960s, Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast manager Kelly Jackson and the crime-solving group, the “Silver Sentinels,” are quick to help out. They’re also quick to guess that they’re in over their heads after the woman is found dead beside the body of a Greek fortune teller—and a fellow Sentinel gets attacked. As Kelly juggles work and her responsibilities at a food and wine festival in town, she and her sleuthing posse must confront a killer obsessed with old secrets . . . and solve a murder mystery more than fifty years in the making . . .

What I Thought:

This was another great installment in the Kelly Jackson Mystery series.  I thought this was as good as the other books in the series.  This series has a great setting and a great cast of characters.  In this installment, the Silver Sentinels are trying to solve a murder and one of their own is attacked.  This story was well written and the plot was intriguing and realistic. I was left guessing till the very end. I would love to visit the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast and get to know the Silver Sentinels. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About the Author

Janet Finsilver is the USA TODAY best-selling author of the Kelly Jackson mystery series. She worked in education for many years as a teacher, a program administrator, and a workshop presenter. Janet majored in English and earned a Master’s Degree in Education. She loves animals and has two dogs–Kylie and Ellie. Janet has ridden western style since she was a child and was a member of the National Ski Patrol. One of the highlights of her life was touching whales in the San Ignacio Lagoon. MURDER AT REDWOOD COVE, her debut mystery, was released on October 13, 2015. Her second book, MURDER AT THE MANSION, was released on June 7, 2016.



Author Links

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/janetfinsilverauthor/?fref=ts

Twitter – https://twitter.com/JanetFinsilver

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/janetfinsilver/

Web – http://janetfinsilver.com/



Purchase Links

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Elementary She Read

Elementary She Read
by Vicki Delany

Read the first chapter here.

Elementary, She Read: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery
by Vicki Delany
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (March 14, 2017)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683310969
Kindle ASIN: B01MT6H7O1

Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. The shop--located at 222 Baker Street--specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also the home of Moriarty the cat. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.

The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman's suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it's a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.

What I Thought:

This one grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept me turning pages till the very end.  I am not a fan of Sherlock Holmes and have not read any of the books, nor seen any of the movies or shows about him, but I still really enjoyed this story.  I really like the character of Gemma, she was a very observant person, but it took her a little while to figure out who the killer was, and it was a total surprise!  There were a lot of twists and turns in this book, which kept it really interesting.  It was well written and the plot was excellent. Again, I was totally surprised by the ending of this book and who the killer was.  There was really nothing about this book that I did not like. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book.


Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers. She is the author of twenty-three published crime novels, including standalone Gothic thrillers, the Constable Molly Smith series, and the Year Round Christmas Mysteries. Under the pen name of Eva Gates she is the national bestselling author of the Lighthouse Library cozy series.

The first in Vicki’s Sherlock Holmes bookshop series, Elementary She Read, will be released in March 2017 from Crooked Lane Books.

Vicki lives and writes in Prince Edward County, Ontario. She is the past president of the Crime Writers of Canada.

www.vickidelany.com Facebook: Vicki Delany & Eva Gates and twitter: @vickidelany and @evagatesauthor

Purchase Links

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Purr M for Murder

Purr M For Murder
by T.C. LoTempio

Purr M for Murder: A Cat Rescue Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Crooked Lane Books (March 14, 2017)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683310921
Kindle ASIN: B01N6P3WYP

Sydney McCall left behind an ex-fiancé and a New York advertising job to return home to Deer Park, North Carolina and help her sister, Kat, run the local animal shelter, Friendly Paws. Determined to save the shelter from financial trouble, Sydney and Kat organize a cat café fundraising event at a local coffee shop. Things are looking up until their landlord, Trowbridge Littleton, threatens to shut down the event. When Sydney drops by his art gallery to make peace, she finds Kat--along with Littleton's dead body.

Local homicide detective Will Worthington--who just happens to be Sydney's old high school crush--is highly suspicious of the sisters' involvement. Desperate to clear their names from the suspect list, Sydney pounces on the investigation. With the help of one of the shelter cats, a savvy orange tabby named Toby, Sydney begins poking her nose into other local businesses whose owners may have benefited from Littleton's death--until the killer notices she's pawing a little too closely at the truth.

What I Thought:
This was a great start to a new first series.  I always enjoy reading cozies with animals in them and this author does a great job introducing us to Toby and Syd, the human he choose to be his companion.  Syd has come home to help her sister with marketing for the local no kill shelter.  Syd comes up with the idea of cat café at the local coffee shop, but of course a local business man threatens to shut down the event.  Kat, Syd's sister, is found leaning over the dead body of that business man, so of course she is the main suspect.  Syd and Tody have an adventure trying to prove that Kat is innocent.  This was a well written book that flowed well and have several twists and turns. It kept my attention from the beginning and I was totally surprised at the end. I look forward to more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About the Author…..

While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic. She (and ROCCO, albeit he’s uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime – the first volume, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, debuted Dec. 2, 2014. Followed by #2, CLAWS FOR ALARM. #3, CRIME AND CATNIP, was released in December. She, Rocco and Maxx make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York. Catch up with them at www.tclotempio.net and www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Where to find them:

ROCCO’s blog:

www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Website:

https://www.tclotempio.net/



facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5

Twitter:

@RoccoBlogger - https://twitter.com/@RoccoBlogger

Purchase Link:

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Pekoe Most Poison

Pekoe Most Poison
by Laura Childs

Pekoe Most Poison (A Tea Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
18th in Series
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery (March 7, 2017)
An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425281680
Kindle - ASIN: B01KGZVXTK

Synopsis

In the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs, Theodosia Browning attends a “Rat Tea,” where the mice will play...at murder.

When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued. As servers dressed in rodent costumes and wearing white gloves offer elegant finger sandwiches and fine teas, Theo learns these parties date back to early twentieth-century Charleston, where the cream of society would sponsor so-called rat teas to promote city rodent control and better public health.

But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead. Has his favorite orange pekoe tea been poisoned? Theo smells a rat.

The distraught Doreen soon engages Theo to pursue a discreet inquiry into who might have murdered her husband. As Theo and her tea sommelier review the guest list for suspects, they soon find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse...

INCLUDES RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS

What I Thought:

Another great installment in the Tea Shop Mysteries.  Again, Laura writing is spot on which makes the book flow really well.  Theo is such an engaging character who cannot seem to avoid trouble.  In this installment, she is invited to a "Rat Tea" by Doreen Briggs.  Doreen's husband is poisoned during he tea, so of course, Theo becomes involved in trying to find out who the culprit in this murder is.  There are a lot of twists and turns to keep a person turning the pages.  The ending was a surprise for me. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About The Author

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries - set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries - set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links:

Webpage - http://www.laurachilds.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31

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