Better Watch Out

Better Watch Out (A Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mystery)

by Christina Freeburn

About Better Watch Out

Better Watch Out (A Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

2nd in Series

Henery Press (October 15, 2019)

Hardcover: 252 pages

ISBN-10: 1635115108

ISBN-13: 978-1635115109

Paperback: 252 pages

ISBN-10: 1635115078

ISBN-13: 978-1635115079

Digital ASIN: B07VQST5YT

Making a list. Merry’s life is Christmas chaos. Her divorce is still in question. She’s behind on crafting orders. Ebenezer is an escape artist. And with one day left, she hasn’t completed the line-up for the annual Christmas parade, thanks to one grinch. Once Merry knows the Christmas secret, she realizes Santa isn’t what’s coming to town.

Checking it twice. Santa’s naughty list, courtesy of Jenna Wilcox, will roll down Main Street with names of residents who deserve a lump of coal in their stocking. Saving the parade won’t be easy, but Merry is up to task. Or so she thinks until she discovers Jenna’s body stashed in Santa’s sack.

Going to find out. As facts are unwrapped, Merry finds the line blurred between who’s naughty and nice. As threats are aimed at her and those she loves, Merry dashes for the truth before the murderer puts her on the naughty list and crosses her off for good.

What I Thought:

This is the second installment in the Merry and Bright Handcrafted Mystery Series, and I enjoyed this one as much as I did the first.  In this one, Merry is in charge of Season's Greetings Christmas Parade and when Jenna Wilcox is found dead after she has threatened to reveal a naughty list on her float, Merry has her hands full trying to find the killer.  I found this book well written and I enjoyed the the plot which made for a quick read.  I am glad that I had read the first in the series, or I may have been lost in this one.  I enjoy Christmas cozies and Ms. Freeburn did a good job with describing the details of the towns Christmas celebration.  I of course, love Ebenezzer as I have a guinea pig of my own, and I loved reading about his antics.  There were many twists and turns in this on to keep me guessing and turning the page.  It was also enjoyed because in takes place in my home state of West Virginia and the author is actually from my husband's hometown in West Virginia.  I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Christina Freeburn

Christina Freeburn has always loved books. There was nothing better than picking up a story and being transported to another place. The love of reading evolved into the love of writing and she's been writing since her teenage years. Her first novel was a 2003 Library of Virginia Literary Award nominee. Her mysteries series, Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery and Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mysteries, are a mix of crafty and crime and feature heroines whose crafting time is interrupted by crime solving.

Christina served in the US Army and has also worked as a paralegal, librarian, church secretary, and golf shop pro. She lives in West Virginia with her husband, dog, and a rarely seen cat except by those who are afraid and allergic to felines.

Author Links


Webpage: www.christinafreeburn.com


Blog: www.theselfrescueprincess.wordpress.com


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaFreeburnCraftyandCrimeAuthor/


Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristinaFreeb1


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ChristinaFreeburn
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Have Yourself a Beary Little Murder

Have Yourself a Beary Little Murder
(A Teddy Bear Mystery)
by Meg Macy

 

 

 

Cozy Mystery3rd in Series

Setting – Michigan

Kensington (September 24, 2019)

Paperback: 288 pages

ISBN-10: 1496722655

ISBN-13: 978-1496722652

Digital ASIN: B07MRC5KZG

This holiday season, teddy bear shop manager Sasha Silverman must solve the slaying of Santa Bear . . .

Sasha and her sister Maddie are thrilled that the Silver Bear Shop and Factory has won the Teddy Bear Keepsake Contest, which means they get to produce a holiday specialty toy, a wizard bear named “Beary Potter.” Promising to be just as magical is Silver Hollow’s annual tree-lighting ceremony and village parade. Only one hitch: the parade’s mascot, Santa Bear—played by Mayor Cal Bloom—is missing.

After a frantic search among the floats, Bloom is found dead. When the outfit is removed, it’s clear the mayor’s been electrocuted. Who zapped hizzoner and then stuffed him into his Santa Bear suit? While the police investigate the grisly crime, Sasha attempts to track down the murderer herself, with some help from the Guilty Pleasures Gossip Club. Can they wrap up this case in time for Christmas—or will Sasha meet her own shocking end?

 

 

What I Thought:

 

This is the third installment in the Teddy Bear Mystery series.  The holiday season has descended on Silver Hollow and the sisters of the Silver Bear Shop and Factory are excited because they have won a contest to produce a specialty toy, a wizard bear named "Beary Potter".  The only thing that can dull the sisters excitement is that the mascot for the village tree-lighting and parade has gone missing.  Santa Bear is always played by Mayor Cal, and unfortunately, Mayor Cal has been found electrocuted and stuffed into his costume.  Of course, after some persuasion from her mother, Sasha is on the case to find out who the killer is.  I really enjoyed this installment as I love teddy bears and love to read cozies set during the holiday season.  I loved the authors descriptions of all the holiday events in the town, it made me want to really be there.  The mystery in this story was great because it kept me guessing and there were a lot of twists and turns, so I was not sure who the killer was till the reveal.  I love this authors writing style because it makes the story flow well.  I look forward to more in this series.

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

 

About Meg Macy

 

 

 

 

Meg Macy is an award-winning author and artist, and lives in Southeastern Michigan, the setting of her Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear cozy mysteries for Kensington. Her first published book, Double Crossing, won the 2012 Spur Award for Best First Novel from Western Writers of America. Meg is also one-half of the writing team of D.E. Ireland, authors of the Eliza and Henry Higgins Mystery series—of which two titles have been Agatha Award finalists. Meg love gardening, watercolor painting, and reading books of various genres.

 

 

 

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Mulberry Mischief

Mulberry Mischief

(A Berry Basket Mystery)

by Sharon Farrow

About the Book

Mulberry Mischief (A Berry Basket Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

4th in Series

Kensington (August 27, 2019)

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages

ISBN-10: 1496722612

ISBN-13: 978-1496722614

Kindle ASIN: B07L2FVR11

Autumn has arrived on the shores of Lake Michigan, but Marlee Jacob, proprietor of The Berry Basket, is feeling a chill for other reasons …

With the Harvest Health Fair in full swing, Marlee makes sure to stock up on elderberry products for cold and flu season. But this year there's also a run on mulberry when an eccentric customer wants to use the dried berries to ward off evil forces. True, it's almost Halloween, but something else earns the Lake Lady has a deadly past that is connected to the famous Sable family who are in town for the health fair. A bunch of clues start to come together—and figuring out what's going on puts Marlee in a real jam …

Includes Berry Recipes!

What I Thought:


This is the fourth Berry Basket Mystery, and with this being one of my favorite series, this installment did not disappoint me.  It is Halloween in Oriole Point and Piper, the Mayor's wife is gearing up with a Harvest Health Fair in which she invites health gurus from all over to attend.  The Sable family is invited.  The mysterious Lake Lady asks Marlee to order her several pounds of mulberries to spread around her home to ward off evil. Everyone, including Piper, tells Marlee to stay away from the Lake Lady, but Marlee feels she has something to reveal and when she disappears and a the dead body of ghost writer turns up on her property, Marlee knows she has to help her.  I enjoyed this one as it is set during Halloween.  The plot was well thought out and well written.  I liked how elements from the past were introduced into the present, which made the story flow well and tied in all in together. I like how the author intertwines medicinal and other properties of berries into the stories.  There were many suspects in this story that will keep the reader guessing until the exciting conclusion in this one.  I look forward to reading more in this wonderful series.


I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Sharon Farrow

Sharon Farrow is the latest pen name of award-winning author Sharon Pisacreta. A freelance writer since her twenties, she has been published in mystery, fantasy, and romance. Sharon currently writes The Berry Basket cozy mystery series for Kensington. The series debuted in 2016 and is set along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline where she now lives. She is also one half of the writing team D.E. Ireland, who co-author the Agatha nominated Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins mysteries.

Author Links -


WEB PAGE http://sharonfarrowauthor.com/


FACEBOOK @SharonFarrowAuthor


TWITTER @SharonFarrowBB


BOOKBUB @SharonFarrow


Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Google Play - IndieBoundseems to be spooking Leticia the Lake Lady, Oriole Point's oddest resident. She believes someone plans to kill her—and the ghost. Only mulberries can protect them. Marlee doesn't take her fears seriously until a man named Felix Bonaventure arrives in the village, asking questions about a mysterious woman.

The next day, Marlee finds Bonaventure dead on Leticia's property—shot through the heart with an arrow made of mulberry wood. And Leticia has disappeared. Marlee soon a Rafflecopter giveaway

Silent Night, Deadly Night Guest Post

Silent Night, Deadly Night
(A Year-Round Christmas Mystery)
by Vicki Delany

About the Book

Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Berkley (August 27, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0440000300

ISBN-13: 978-0440000303

Residents of Rudolph keep the spirit of Christmas alive year-round—but their joy is threatened when a group of grinches visits the town, in the charming fourth installment of the Year-Round Christmas series.

It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is preparing for a weekend reunion of her mother’s college friends. But when the group of women comes into Merry’s shop, Merry is met with frosty attitudes and cold hearts.

The women argue amongst themselves constantly, and the bickering only intensifies after one of the friends is poisoned. With her father’s role as Santa in danger due to his proximity to the crime, Merry will need to use all of her investigative gifts to wrap this mystery up and save Santa and her favorite holiday.

About the Author

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty books:  clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea By The Sea mysteries, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year Round Christmas mysteries and, as Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library series.

Author Links

Website –  www.vickidelany.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor;

Twitter:  @vickidelany and@evagatesauthor

Instagram: vickidelany

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound

My Favorite Holiday

By Merry Wilkinson from the Year Round Christmas Mysteries by Vicki Delany

July 2019

I have to confess that Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday.

Why is that a confession, you ask? Plenty of people love Thanksgiving. What’s not to love – turkey, pumpkin pie, autumn woods, warm sweaters, roaring fires. Family, friends, food!

It’s just that I live in Rudolph, New York, America’s Year Round Christmas destination. In Rudolph everything is all Christmas, all the time. And we love it that way! Really, we do.

But, as the owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures located on Jingle Bell Lane, Christmas for me means work.  The frantic shopping season of November/December, getting my float ready for the semi-annual Santa Claus parade (yes, we have one in July also), the influx of tourists.  My best friend Vicky is so busy at her bakery and café, Victoria’s Bake Shoppe, that I hardly see her, and my boyfriend Alan Anderson is a toy maker. You can imagine what he’s doing all season!

Then the post-holiday sales and trying to remember to have fun to celebrate the New Year. So by the time January rolls around I’m bushed.

Thanksgiving is my one last chance to relax before the influx of the season.  My mom and dad always put on a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for whichever of my siblings happen to be able to come that year, and invite any stray friends they can find. Mom was an internationally-known opera-singer in her youth and she collected a lot of nice things in her travels. It all comes out for Thanksgiving. I love it! Let me explain:

I love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday. Don’t tell anyone in Rudolph, but I love Thanksgiving even more than Christmas. My mom and dad always make turkey with all the fixings – walnut and sage stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, a squash casserole, two types of pie. It’s my chance to take one last long deep breath before plunging head first into the madness of the holiday season.

I love Christmas too - my dad is Santa Claus after all - but now that I own the store, when Christmas Day itself arrives I’m totally exhausted. That’s a day to sit back, feet up, mug of hot chocolate in hand, open a few gifts at my parents’ house, and then have a hearty brunch and go to bed early before opening the shop the next morning for the after-Christmas sales.

                                                `                                                               Silent Night Deadly Night by Vicki Delany

This year, my mom’s invited a group of her college friends for a reunion the weekend before Thanksgiving.  They seem a rather miserable bunch and they don’t get on very well, but I’m sure it will all go well and they’ll have gone home in time for us to celebrate the holiday in true Wilkinson style.

Find out if Merry gets the Thanksgiving she wants in SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT, coming August 27 from Berkley.

Crypt Suzette

Crypt Suzette

(A Five-Ingredient Mystery)

by Maya Corrigan

About the Book

Crypt Suzette (A Five-Ingredient Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

6th in Series

Kensington (August 27, 2019)

Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

ISBN-10: 1496722426

ISBN-13: 978-1496722423

Digital ASIN: B07L2GDD8H

Val Deniston is catering the debut of Bayport’s newest bookstore—but the death of a customer is about to draw her into a real-life murder mystery …

Suzette Cripps has been occupying a spare bedroom at Val’s granddad’s house while she takes classes in this Maryland Eastern Shore town—but she’s always seemed a little secretive and fearful, and any talk about her past is a closed book.

After winning the costume contest at the Halloween-themed bookstore party, Suzette is mowed down by a hit-and-run driver—and Val and her grandfather start to wonder whether it was really an accident or if someone was after Suzette. Granddad is a little distracted by his new enterprise as a ghost-buster, but as Val talks to Suzette’s coworkers and fellow creative writing students, she grows more convinced that the dead woman’s demons weren’t imaginary—and that she needs to rip the mask off a killer …

Includes delicious five-ingredient recipes!

What I Thought:

This is the sixth installment in the Five Ingredients Mystery series by Maya Corrigan.  I have read a couple in this series and this one was just as good as the others that I have read.  In this one, Val's granddad, Don's new border Suzette, who is pretty mysterious, turns up dead from a hit-and-run the morning after a Halloween costume contest at the grand opening of the new bookstore in town.  The police are not sure if the hit-and-run is an accident or a crime, but Val is sure because of Suzette's mysterious ways that it is a murder.  This story was well written with a good plot. The author does not give a lot of information on the victim, Suzette while she is still alive in the story, but reveals more about the mysterious girl during Val's investigation into her death.  There are a lot of twists and turns in this story that kept me guessing. There are also many suspects allowing for many red herrings in this story.  The author did a great job intertwining the murder investigation into the towns Hallow festivities. This one kept my attention from the very beginning till the end.  I enjoyed this one immensely, as I usually enjoy a good cozy set during Halloween.  The author did a great job with this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Maya Corrigan

Maya Corrigan blends her love of food and detective stories in her Five-Ingredient Mystery series set in a fictional historic town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The first book in the series, By Cook or by Crook, was published in 2014.

Before taking up a life of crime (on the page), she taught university courses in writing, detective fiction, American literature, and drama. She won the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Unpublished Mainstream Mystery / Suspense. Her short stories, written under the name of Mary Ann Corrigan, have been published in anthologies.

When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, tennis, trivia, cooking, and crosswords. Her website features trivia about food and mysteries.

Author Links


WebPage: mayacorrigan.com


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maya-CorriganBooks/305167769636032


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Book Blast

Susan was born and raised a Southern California girl but is grateful to have lived on the Oregon coast and in the Rocky Mountains of northern Utah. She’s now enjoying living with her husband in the incomparable beauty of the Redwood forest, nestled against the rugged coast of Northern California.


Susan raised a tribe of children, making ends meet as a registered nurse and lactation consultant, and now her tribe members have tribes of their own and she doesn’t get to see enough of them. She loves to travel and is thrilled with a good movie or a great book, but writing is her passion. She writes almost anything, especially epic fantasy and romance.




Susan would love to hear your comments. Please review her book at your favorite retailer or at Goodreads. Take a peek at her website, susantietjen.blogspot.com, and/ or drop her a note at:


stietjen.author@gmail.com.

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Grace has given up on romance, on almost everything, since Rick Fleming betrayed her faith in him five years ago. Given her constant struggle with bad luck (her friend Murphy), being insanely accident prone, and having been the target of endless ridicule growing up, she has no reason to trust anyone.


Rick made some mistakes as a boy, and as a young man, his worst was hurting Grace Evans. His heart still belongs to her, even if she doesn’t know it. Unfortunately, in the last confrontation between them, she demanded he never speak to her again.


Now, Grace’s best friend (and Rick’s sister) Hannah has invited her to a ten-day summer work-vacation to babysit Hannah’s teen cousins. A palatial cabin, a patio boat on the lake, and all the comforts of the rich and famous at their fingertips? A vacation made in heaven.


At least until they arrive and Grace finds Rick there. And neither can leave. Rick’s car is in pieces in the garage, and Grace forgot her driver’s license at home.


How will Grace survive it? Can she find a way to forgive? Can Rick learn to take


responsibility for his past mistakes? And even if they succeed, what will they do when Rick’s most recent wantabe girlfriend shows up on their doorstep, determined to make Rick hers?

And now for the Cover

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SET TO RELEASE ON SEPTEMBER 6TH!

Preorder Available Now on Amazon!

Join us for the upcoming tour featuring this wonderful book HERE!

Find all of Susan Tietjen's books here


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