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January 31, 2018

Where Do I Go by Beverly Magid - Spotlight and Giveaway


Book details
Where Do I Go by Beverly Magid
Publication Date: October 9, 2017
BeWrite Press
Paperback & eBook; 138 Pages
Genre: Fiction/Historical/Jewish

Book description
READ THE FIRST CHAPTER. It's 1908 and Leah and her boys have immigrated to New York's Lower East Side to live with her brothers after surviving a pogrom in their Russian village. She is determined to find a home in America but the conditions are harsher than she expected. The garment sweat shops are brutal to work in and it's essential that her son Benny works after school to help with expenses. Unbeknownst to her he runs errands for the local bookie/gangster. Life isn't what Leah hoped for, but she's a fighter and not willing to accept the awful conditions at Wollowitz's Factory. She's on a journey to find her own voice, to find a place for herself and her sons, to find a little beauty and romance in her life. 

Available in Paperback and eBook on Amazon

Meet the author - Beverly Magid
Beverly Magid, before writing her novel, was a journalist and an entertainment and celebrity PR executive, who interviewed many luminaries, including John Lennon, Jim Croce and the Monty Python gang, and as a publicist represented clients in music, tv and film, ranging from Whoopi Goldberg, John Denver and Dolly Parton to Tom Skerritt, Martin Landau, Kathy Ireland and Jacqueline Bisset. Beverly is a longtime west coast resident who still considers herself a New Yorker. Among the social issues she’s passionate about is literacy and she worked with KorehLA to mentor elementary children in reading. Also she has been an advocate for Jewish World Watch, an organization dedicated to working against genocide and to aid the victims of war atrocities. On a lighter side, she is also a volunteer at the Los Angeles Zoo, monitoring animal behavior for their Research Department. She is a news and political junkie who supports environmental, animal and human rights issues. She believes most passionately that “We must remain vigilant to the those who would erode the rights of people around the world and work to defeat them.” 

For more information, please visit Beverly Magid's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. 

Giveaway
During the Book Blast we will be giving away a signed copy of WHERE DO I GO! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 2nd. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to residents in the US only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. 


Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, January 15 
Review at Donna's Book Blog 

Tuesday, January 16 
Guest Post at My Reading Corner 

Wednesday, January 17 
Excerpt at WS Momma Readers Nook 

Monday, January 22 

Tuesday, January 23 
Feature at A Literary Vacation 

Thursday, January 25 
Feature at Just One More Chapter 

Friday, January 26 
nterview at Dianne Ascroft's Blog 

Sunday, January 28 
Feature at Books of a Shy Girl 

Monday, January 29 
Review at Back Porchervations 

Tuesday, January 30 
Review & Interview at Elizabeth Jane Corbett 

Wednesday, January 31 
Review at Cup of Sensibility 
Feature at A Holland Reads 

Thursday, February 1 

Friday, February 2 
Guest Post at Passages to the Past


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January 30, 2018

The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III - Review


Book details
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (September 27, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143036211
ISBN-13: 978-0143036210

Book description
A captivating biography of the man who became a legend at the Battle of the Little Bighorn

As a brilliant leader of a desperate cause and one of the most perennially fascinating figures of the American West, Crazy Horse crushed Custer's 7th Cavalry and brought the United States Army to its knees. Now, with the help of celebrated historian Joseph Marshall, we finally have the opportunity to know Crazy Horse as his fellow Lakota Indians knew him.

Drawing on extensive research and a rich oral tradition that it rarely shared outside Native American circles, Marshall - himself a descendent of the Lakota community that raised Crazy Horse - creates a vibrant portrait of the man, his times, and his legacy. From the powerful vision that spurred him into battle to the woman he loved but lost to duty and circumstance, this is a compelling celebration of a culture, an enduring way of life, and the unforgettable hero who remains a legend among legends.

Meet the author - Joseph Marshall III
Joseph M. Marshall III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and holds a PhD from the reservation university, which he helped to establish. The award-winning author of ten books, including Hundred in the Hand, The Lakota Way, and The Journey of Crazy Horse, he has also contributed to various publications and written several screenplays. His first language is Lakota, he handcrafts primitive Lakota bows and arrows, and he is a specialist in wilderness survival. Marshall's work as a cultural and historical consultant can be seen and heard in the Turner Network Television and Dreamworks epic television miniseries Into the West.

My thoughts
I enjoyed this book and learned more about Crazy Horse as I read. Of course the more I read the the more I angry I got. Growing up around Native American Reservations I have a respect for them. I know they were treated badly but I did not realize exactly what they did to him and his family. I liked that this was told from their point of view which I feel should have been done a long time ago. I enjoyed the story at the end as well as who the author got his information from. There is a lot of information packed in this book but not so much that it is overwhelming. The way the author wrote it makes you want to continue reading to learn more about Crazy Horse and his people. I recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to learn a little more about our history from the way it happened and not the way the history books want you to think it all happened. 
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Biscuits and Slashed Browns by Maddie Day - Guest Post and Giveaway

Book details
Cozy Mystery 4th in Series 
Setting - Indiana 
Kensington (January 30, 2018) 
Mass Market Paperback: 292 Pages 
ISBN-13: 978-1496711212 
E-Book ASIN: B071DZ1K5W 

Book description
For country-store owner Robbie Jordan, the National Maple Syrup Festival is a sweet escape from late-winter in South Lick, Indiana—until murder saps the life out of the celebration . . .

As Robbie arranges a breakfast-themed cook-off at Pans ‘N Pancakes, visitors pour into Brown County for the annual maple extravaganza. Unfortunately, that includes Professor Connolly, a know-it-all academic from Boston who makes enemies everywhere he goes—and this time, bad manners prove deadly. Soon after clashing with several scientists at a maple tree panel, the professor is found dead outside a sugar shack, stabbed to death by a local restaurateur’s knife. When an innocent woman gets dragged into the investigation and a biologist mysteriously disappears, Robbie drops her winning maple biscuits to search for answers. But can she help police crack the case before another victim is caught in a sticky situation with a killer?

Meet the author - Maddie Day
Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a Ph.D. 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 writes 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 weekday 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.

Purchase Links
Amazon B&N kobo

Guest post
Why Indiana?

People sometimes ask me why I set a series in southern Indiana. Here’s why. I spent five happy years earning my doctorate at the flagship Indiana University campus in Bloomington, one that generations of Maxwells attended and of which my great-great-great grandfather was one of the founders. In addition, my great-grandfather was first dean of the IU Medical school, my grandfather was captain of the IU basketball team in 1916, and my own father was an undergrad there, so it was fun for this California girl to discover her Midwestern roots.

IU is a huge university in a small town. You can walk or ride a bike everywhere. People are friendlier and talk more slowly than in the northeast. And neighboring Brown County is as hilly and pretty as Vermont. It’s the least populated and most forested county in the state.

While I lived in Bloomington in the late 1970s, a fellow grad student dropped out of the linguistics PhD program. With his girlfriend he bought a run-down country store in the town of Story in Brown County, and fixed it up into a breakfast restaurant as well as a bed-and-breakfast establishment. They served whole-wheat banana walnut pancakes, which I make to this day. The Story Inn still exists, although my friends don’t own it any longer.

I think readers are drawn to the fictional southern Midwest village of South Lick I created. And who doesn’t love a homey country store filled with antique cookware that also offers a tasty breakfast and lunch menu? I love testing new recipes to include in the back of each book in the series.

[Note: An earlier version of this post appeared several years ago at wickedcozyauthors.com.]

Giveaway



TOUR PARTICIPANTS 
January 29 – The Ninja Librarian – REVIEW, GUEST POST 
January 29 – The Power of Words – REVIEW 
January 30 – A Holland Reads - GUEST POST 
January 30 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW 
January 31 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW 
February 1 – Readeropolis – INTERVIEW 
February 1 –Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT 
February 2 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 
February 2 – Book Babble – REVIEW 
February 3 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW 
February 3 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW 
February 4 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW 
February 5 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST 
February 5 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews - REVIEW, GUEST POST 
February 6 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT 
February 6 – A Blue Million Books - CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
February 7 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, INTERVIEW 
February 7 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW 
February 8 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW 
February 8 – Carstairs Considers – REVIEW 
February 9 – Varietats - REVIEW, GUEST POST 
February 9 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW 
February 10 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW 
February 10 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST 
February 11 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
February 11 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
at 9 comments:

January 29, 2018

The Vanished Bride of Northfield House by Phyllis M. Newman - Spotlight and Giveaway

 

Book details
Gothic Mystery 1st in Series 
Date of Release January 26, 2018 
Cup of Tea Books 
Paperback: 346 pages 
ISBN-13: 978-1939403452 
Digital ASIN: B0791MQVBM
  

Book description
England, 1922 Times are hard. Anne Chatham is a clever, modest young woman with little money, no prospects for marriage, and a never-shared secret—she can see spirits.

Anne finds employment as a typist at Northfield House, the grand country manor of the Wellington family. Her employer, the wheelchair-bound Mr. Wellington, is kindly. His haughty wife is not. He has two handsome sons, the wry and dashing Thomas and the dark and somber Owen.

Anne feels sure her prayers have been heard. Until the terrifying night, she stumbles upon a tortured spirit roaming the dark halls of Northfield, a spirit that only she can see.

In a search for answers, she finds herself drawn to Owen as they unearth a tragic story from the Wellington family’s past—a beautiful young bride gone missing on her wedding day.

Then tragedy strikes again on the night of a glittering masquerade ball...

Meet the author - Phyllis M. Newman
Phyllis M Newman turned to writing mysteries after a career in finance and human resources. She lives in Columbus, Ohio in a big house with a weed-filled yard, three strong-willed cats, and a husband that's easy on the eyes.

Author webpage www.readphyllismnewman.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ReadPhyllisMNewman/ Purchase Link Amazon

Short Excerpt 
I heard scratching—fingernails or claws or beaks on wood. Then the rustle of wings, a soft fluttering. Perhaps a bird had gotten trapped on the floor above. Knock. Thud. Knock. Thud. Knock. Thud. Then nothing. I waited for the thumps and scratches to begin again, but heard only Owen’s rapid breathing. His grip on my shoulder softened. Before we could step away from each other, I heard something else. Whispers. Not words, but sibilance. A faint weeping. I could pretend no longer that the sounds issued from an animal. Owen shuddered, and I tried to swallow. My sight darted from the floors to the ceilings, from corner to corner, searching for additional signs. I saw none. The bed, its elaborate draperies, and the pictures on the walls were all undisturbed, but a plaintive lament—a mournful sobbing—suddenly filled the space. When the weeping stopped, I found my hand pressed against Owen’s chest. I could feel his heart beating, hard and fast, under my palm. “I think it’s over,” he said, releasing my shoulders. I reluctantly withdrew my hand and took a step away.

Giveaway


TOUR PARTICIPANTS 
January 26 – Socrates' Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
January 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT 
January 28 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 
January 29 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST 
January 29 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT 
January 30 – Valerie's Musings - GUEST POST 
January 31 – Bubble Bath Books – REVIEW 
February 1 – Carole's Book Corner – REVIEW 
February 2 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW 
February 3 – T's Stuff – REVIEW, INTERVIEW 
February 4 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, INTERVIEW 
February 5 – Ruff Drafts – REVIEW 
February 6 – Jane Reads - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST 
February 7 – Queen of All She Reads – GUEST POST 
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January 27, 2018

Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory - Guest Post and Giveaway

 

Book details
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series 
Lyrical Underground (January 23, 2018) 
Paperback: 192 pages 
ISBN-13: 978-1516104659 
E-Book ASIN: B06Y52XG4B
  

Book description
For Florida diner owner Gia Morelli, there’s no such thing as too much breakfast—unless it kills you . . .

When Gia Morelli’s marriage falls apart, she knows it’s time to get out of New York. Her husband was a scam artist who swindled half the millionaires in town, and she doesn’t want to be there when they decide to take revenge. On the spur of the moment, she follows her best friend to a small town in Central Florida, where she braves snakes, bears, and giant spiders to open a cheery little diner called the All-Day Breakfast Café. Owning a restaurant has been her lifelong dream, but it turns into a nightmare the morning she opens her dumpster and finds her ex-husband crammed inside. As the suspect du jour, Gia will have to scramble fast to prove her innocence before a killer orders another cup of murder . . .

Meet the author - Lena Gregory
Lena Gregory lives in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and three children. When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories. 

Author Links: Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/ 

Purchase Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kensington
Kobo

Guest post
Savannah Mills 

Hi, I’m Savannah Mills, and I am so excited! My best friend, Gia Morelli, is moving to my hometown of Boggy Creek, Florida. She’s having a bit of trouble, thanks to her no-good, cheating, lying, scheming ex-husband, a man I never wanted her to marry in the first place, but what are you gonna do? She made her mistakes, just like we all do, and now it’s time to move on. Thankfully, she came to her senses.

So, Gia is opening an All-Day Breakfast café. She bought a beautiful historic building right on Main Street, just down the road from the park. She can only fly down for an occasional weekend, thanks to the mess her ex made up in New York, so I’ve been helping her out.

Before she left last time, she ordered tables for the café dining room. When they came in, my brother, Joey, and I set them up. I spread navy blue cloths over them and made matching covers for the seat cushions. I even found a gorgeous, hand-painted wooden open/closed sign for the front window and picked up some paintings of local scenery at the street fair last weekend.

She’s going to be so thrilled with how cozy and homey everything looks. Glass cake dishes line the counter. I can’t wait for a piece of the breakfast pies that will fill them. Gia makes an amazing breakfast! I can almost smell the bacon cooking already, and her home fries. Mmmm…out of this world.

Oops, now my stomach’s growling. I probably shouldn’t have thought of the home fries.

I do have to admit, though, I’m a nervous wreck. Gia loved the building that would house the café, but she hasn’t yet seen her house. Don’t get me wrong, it’s adorable, but it’s a little out of the way. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much money left after buying the café, so I had to do my best.

The development is beautiful, acre after acre of woods, filled with thickly wooded, huge pine trees that brush the clouds. And I’m pretty sure she’ll get used to the abundance of critters that roam the development that sits right on the edge of the Ocala National Forest. I saw a couple of bear cubs playing in an open field last time I was out there, and I pulled over just to sit and watch them. But the drive to the café takes about twenty-five minutes, and, well, Gia’s from Manhattan, where you can find almost anything you need, any time of the day or night, without traveling twenty-five minutes.

That was one of the things I loved about the five years I lived with Gia in New York. One of the hardest things for me to get used to was the lack of trees. I’d look up, and instead of trees dripping with moss, I’d find buildings that pierced the clouds and sometimes seemed like they were about to fall over on me.

Anyway, Gia will be here soon, so for now, all I can do is wait and hope she loves everything. I just know her opening day is going to be perfect!

Giveaway
TOUR PARTICIPANTS 
January 23 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW 
January 24 – Bea's Book Nook - CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
January 24 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW 
January 25 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 
January 25 - Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book - Review 
January 26 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW 
January 27 – A Holland Reads - CHARACTER GUEST POST 
January 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, INTERVIEW 
January 29 – Ruff Drafts -INTERVIEW 
January 30 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST 
January 31 – Readeropolis – INTERVIEW 
February 1 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW 
February 2 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST 
February 2 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW 
February 3 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST 
February 3 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW 
February 4 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW 
February 5 – Socrates Book Reviews - REVIEW   
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January 25, 2018

Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry - Spotlight and Excerpt

Book details
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (January 30, 2018)

Book description
Doesn’t matter who did it. Not anymore. I did the time. It’s over.”

When Drix was convicted of a crime—one he didn’t commit—he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor’s newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.

Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor’s daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn’t may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.

When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle’s parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix’s messy life.

But sometimes love can breach all barriers.

Fighting against a society that can’t imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves—Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence—and each other to finally get what they deserve.


Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Meet the author - Katie McGarry
Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

She is the author of the Pushing the Limits and Thunder Road series. Say You’ll Remember Me will be released in 2018.

Katie loves to hear from her readers.
.
Connect with Katie
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Excerpt
The urge is to perform a sweep of the area to see where my tormentors have settled. Predators like that don’t give up easily on their prey.

“They’re off to our right,” he says as if reading my mind.

“Next to the popcorn stand, but don’t look at them. Don’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they have power over you.”

“They don’t have power over me.”

“Good.” He lays five dollars on the table. The carnie takes a long look at him and then a long look at me as if we’re a defunct science experiment, and eventually places three balls on the ledge.

The two of us are different. Complete sliding scale differ­ent. The only thing we have in common, as far as I can tell, is that he appears about my age and that we are both wearing shoes. My sandals to his scuffed combat boots. His sagging jeans with rips and white T-shirt to my ironed khaki shorts and fitted blue top. My diamond earrings and gold bracelet with a heart charm to his black belt that has metal studs and silver chain that hangs from his belt loop to his wallet.

By looks, I should have more in common with the loser college boys, but it’s this guy I’m comfortable with. “What’s your name?”

He throws the ball, and he’s right, he sucks at it. While he has unbelievable power, his aim’s completely off. The ball hits the back curtain with a loud thud, then drops to the floor. “Drix.”

“Drix?” I repeat to make sure I heard him correctly.

“Drix. It’s short for Hendrix. Like Jimi Hendrix.”

“That’s cool.” Because it is.

I wait for him to ask for my name, but he doesn’t. Instead he says, “Are you here alone?”

He throws the second ball, and this time he hits the top of the three bottles, sending that one to the ground.

“No. My parents are here. I’m supposed to meet them at the convention center. What about you? What happened to the people you were with? Or are you here alone now?”

“Yes, but no.” Drix pulls his arm back, releases the ball, and when the ball hits the bottom bottles, my heart lifts with the idea that he won, but only one of the bottles goes flying. The other stays completely untouched.

He turns in my direction, but his gaze roams over my shoulder, then flickers to the left. Drix then glances behind him, and when he returns his attention to me he raises his eyebrows. “They appear to be gone.”

That’s awesome news, but I’m still stuck on his answer of “yes but no.” Honestly, I’m stuck on him. He’s a million ques­tions without a single answer, and he makes me incredibly curious. “My parents weren’t thrilled about me hanging out alone at the midway, but I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. It’s just Whack-A-Mole, you know?”

“And a ball toss.”

“And a ball toss. None of it should have been complicated.”

“Shouldn’t have been.”

“Elle!” Part of me is relieved to see Andrew craning his neck over the crowd. Another part of me is majorly disap­pointed. There aren’t many times in my life I’m left alone. Not many times I’m able to explore new places and people without someone hovering and not many opportunities when I would meet someone like Drix.

“Elle,” Andrew calls again. I wave at him, hoping it will buy me a few seconds, and he waves back in a way that tells me he needs me to walk in his direction. That works well for me.

“Is that a friend of yours?” Drix asks.

“Yes, but no.” I borrow his answer because it’s apropos.


Tour participants
Monday, January 8th: What is That Book About
Tuesday, January 9th: Girls in Books
Wednesday, January 10th: Just One More Chapter
Thursday, January 11th: From the TBR Pile
Friday, January 12th: Stuck in Books
Sunday, January 13th: @everlasting.charm – IG feature
Tuesday, January 16th: Books and Spoons
Wednesday, January 17th: Snowdrop Dreams
Thursday, January 18th: Mama Reads Blog
Monday, January 22nd: Books a la Mode
Tuesday, January 23rd: Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, January 24th: Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind
Thursday, January 25th: A Holland Reads
Friday, January 26th: Cheryl’s Book Nook
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January 21, 2018

The Laird and I by Patience Griffin - Review


Book details
Series: Kilts and Quilts of Whussendale
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 22, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1530696260

Book description
New York Times bestselling author of The First Kiss Last summer in the Scottish village of Gandiegow, Hugh McGillivray caught Sophie Munro’s eye, but the dashing Laird behaved badly, acting as if the fun-loving Sophie didn’t exist. Now in the dead of winter, she is set to spend a week at his home, Kilheath Castle, housesitting and learning the art of kiltmaking, completely assured the Laird is out. When he shows up unexpectedly, embarrassment has Sophie wanting to flee back to her own village. She’s not certain how she’s going to unravel herself from this mess—being in his home, in his bed, and he knows nothing of the arrangement that brought her to his castle. Hugh allows Sophie to stay…for now. He’s impressed that, from the start, she’s become indispensable at his wool mill as the kiltmaker’s apprentice, and in his home, helping him to unconventionally heal from his sister’s death. Will the Laird let Sophie leave without telling her how much she’s come to mean to him? Or will he take a risk and ask her to tie the knot when her time at Kilheath Castle is up? Fans of Marie Bostwick, Janet Chapman, RaeAnne Thayne, JoAnn Ross, Robin Carr, Susan Mallery, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips will enjoy Patience Griffin’s novels. Note: Patience Griffin’s THE LAIRD AND I is the novella which bridges the Kilts and Quilts series of Gandiegow and the new series, the Kilts and Quilts of Whussendale. This love story set in Scotland was previously published in MUST LOVE HIGHLANDERS, a duet anthology with New York Times bestseller Grace Burrowes. THE LAIRD AND I is not a historical or time travel story, but a contemporary Scottish romance with a hint of women’s fiction set around the small town quilters of Gandiegow and Whussendale.

Meet the author - Patience Griffin
Award-winning author Patience Griffin has been writing and sewing her whole life but didn’t discover her love of quilting until her late thirties. She decided the best way to acquire her first quilt was to make one for herself. At nearly the same time, she started commuting three and half hours a day for her dream engineering job. To pass the time on the long drive, she got hooked on audiobooks—especially books with love stories. Within a couple of years, she was writing stories of her own. It was no surprise to her family and friends when she combined her love of quilting, her small town roots, and her obsession with Scottish romances into novels. She has gained some recognition with her September 11th Story Quilt which has toured the country as the property of the Pentagon. Her first book, To Scotland with Love, received a Publishers Weekly *starred reviewed, won the New England Readers’ Choice award and Golden Quill for best first book and was also a double RITA® finalist. Patience’s Kilts and Quilts series takes place in small town Scotland and set around a group of quilters. She loves to write about home, heart, and community.

My thoughts
This was another great book by one of my favorite authors. I liked that Deydie made a quick appearance in the book to tie it in with the rest of the other series. It was kind of funny that Sophie got hoodwinked by her friend and friend's mom. Then Hugh was really taken for a loop as he had no idea that someone was coming into his home. I don't know what I would have done in either of their situations as it would have been a strange thing. The addition of the two dogs was fun. They did add to the story. I am looking forward to this author's new book when it comes out. 
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Murder at Fantasia Fair by Jeannette de Beauvoir - Character Guest Post and Giveaway

 

Book details
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series 
HomePort Press (September 28, 2017) 
Paperback: 282 pages 
ISBN-13: 978-0999245125 
E-Book ASIN: B075ZY26XQ
  

Book description
Wedding coordinator Sydney Riley never thought she'd get caught up in a murder investigation, but she became an amateur sleuth when her boss was killed during Bear Week. Now she's back, this time as the Race Point Inn hosts Provincetown's venerable transgender event, Fantasia Fair... and murder is once again an uninvited guest! It's all hands on deck at the inn as visitors arrive for the week-long event and Sydney helps coordinator Rachel Parsons organize the occasion. Guest Elizabeth Gonzalez is attending with her spouse, Bob, who--as Angela--is taking a bold first step into a whole new existence. Angela, Elizabeth, and Sydney learn the ropes and politics from other guests, some of whom have attended annually for more than forty years. But the next day, Sydney's detective friend summons her to one of the town beaches where Angela's body has been found--with a knife in her back, a knife stolen from Adrienne, the Race Point Inn's diva chef. Fair organizers and attendees try and carry on as Provincetown is overrun with police, press, and rampant speculation. Sydney, her boyfriend Ali, her friend Mirela, her boss Glenn, and a host of Fantasia Fair participants scramble to find out who killed Angela--and why--before the killer strikes again.

Meet the author - Jeannette de Beauvoir
Jeannette de Beauvoir grew up in Angers, France, but has lived in the United States since her twenties. (No, she's not going to say how long ago that was!) She spends most of her time inside her own head, which is great for writing, though possibly not so much for her social life. When she's not writing, she's reading or traveling... to inspire her writing. The author of a number of mystery and historical novels, de Beauvoir's work has appeared in 15 countries and has been translated into 12 languages. Midwest Review called her Martine LeDuc Montréal series "riveting (...) demonstrating her total mastery of the mystery/suspense genre." She coaches and edits individual writers, teaches writing online and on Cape Cod, and is currently writing a Provincetown Theme Week cozy mystery series featuring female sleuth Sydney Riley. More at JeannettedeBeauvoir.com

Author Links Facebook - Amazon 
Purchase Link Amazon

Character Guest Post
I’m Sydney Riley, and I’m the wedding coordinator for the Race Point Inn in Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod. I love the town I live in—a few murders here and there notwithstanding!—so I thought that today I’d introduce you to it… with five reasons you’ll fall in love with Provincetown!

Reason #1: The Atlantic Ocean. Cape Cod was once known as the grave of the Atlantic for its treacherous sand bars, but now is a beloved summer destination for families that have been coming here for generations. In Provincetown itself you can check out the lighthouse at Race Point, or watch the sun set into the water at Herring Cove. I’m always recommending water-related activities to the guests at the inn: whale-watching, a schooner ride, parasailing, and fishing are all great ways to spend the day!

Reason #2: The Art. Provincetown is the oldest continuously operating art colony in the United States, with luminaries like Henry Hensche, Charles Hawthorne, Blanche Lazzell, and others found that there was something special about the light out here. On August 27, 1916, a Boston Globe headline read "Biggest Art Colony in the World at Provincetown." More than 300 artists and students were in town (many of them expatriates fleeing the war in France) and six schools of art were in operation. These days, I recommend the Friday-night Gallery Stroll, when you can visit all the Commercial Street galleries, meet the artists, have a glass of wine and Talk Art!

Reason #3: The Quirky People. Well, this may be the most memorable. We’re an art colony, a Portuguese fishing town, and a gay-friendly resort, and somehow all those people manage to come together to make it an amazingly interesting place to visit. Any summer evening’s best entertainment is a stroll down Commercial Street, and that gets multiplied by a factor of 10 during any of our famous “theme weeks” (at which I seem to stumble across a significant number of dead bodies!).

Reason #4: The Food. We’re on the Cape. The fishing fleet delivers every day. I probably don’t need to say more, do I? Wellfleet (with its famous oysters) is two towns away from us. Fresh fish is available all over town, often prepared in creative and tantalizing ways. My friend Daniel, who lived in Japan for many years, says that Mac’s has some of the best sushi anywhere. Now there’s a recommendation!

Reason #5: The Theatre. Also in 1916, there was an influx of poets, novelists, journalists, and playwrights into Provincetown from Greenwich Village, bringing a bohemian lifestyle to the former fishing village. Eugene O'Neil's breakthrough drama "Bound East For Cardiff" was first staged here. Every summer there’s a lot of really excellent community, rep, and professional theatre going on around the Outer Cape. Just ask me for recommendations when you’re here!

So… come and visit, either in person or via the mystery series that Jeannette’s writing about me. I’m absolutely sure that you’ll fall in love with Ptown, too!

Giveaway


Tour Participants 
January 12 – Valerie’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 13 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 14 – A Blue Million Books – INTERVIEW
January 15 – The Book’s the Thing – SPOTLIGHT
January 16 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 17 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST
January 18 – Bea’s Book Nook – REVIEW
January 19 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – GUEST POST
January 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 21 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST


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January 19, 2018

Murder of a Good Man by Teresa Trent - Guest Post and Giveaway

 

Book details
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series 
Setting - Texas 
Camel Press (January 15, 2018) 
Paperback: 256 pages 
ISBN-13: 978-1603816359 
E-Book ASIN: B076XVG8JP
  

Book description
When Nora Alexander drives into Piney Woods, Texas, to fulfill her dying mother’s last wish, she has no idea what awaits her. First she is run off the road, then the sealed letter she delivers turns out to be a scathing rebuke to the town’s most beloved citizen and favored candidate for Piney Woods Pioneer: Adam Brockwell. Next thing you know, Adam has been murdered in a nasty knife attack. Suspicion instantly falls on Nora, one of the last people to see him alive. After all, everyone in Piney Woods loved him. Or did they? Nora learns that her mother had a complicated past she never shared with her daughter. Told not to leave town by Tuck the flirty sheriff, Nora finds a job with Tuck’s Aunt Marty trying to get the rundown Tunie Hotel back in the black. The old hotel was Piney Woods’ heart and soul in its heyday as an oil boomtown. Now the secrets it harbors may be the key to getting Nora off the hook. She’s going to need to solve the mystery quickly to avoid arrest, or worse: becoming the killer’s next victim.

Meet the author - Teresa Trent
Teresa Trent lives in Houston, Texas and is an award-winning mystery writer. She writes the Pecan Bayou Mystery Series, is a regular contributor to the Happy Homicides Anthologies. Teresa is happy to add her Henry Park Mystery Series to her publishing credits with Color Me Dead, the first book in the series. Teresa has also won awards for her work in short stories where she loves to dabble in tales that are closer to the Twilight Zone than small town cozies. When Teresa isn’t writing, she is a full-time caregiver for her son and teaches preschoolers music part-time. Her favorite things include spending time with family and friends, waiting for brownies to come out of the oven, and of course, a good mystery.

Author Links FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/teresatrentmysterywriter 

Purchase Link Amazon B&N 

Guest post
Observe the Mystery Around You 
By Teresa Trent 
In my latest mystery Murder of a Good Man, the main character, Nora finds a letter her mother wrote to a man in Piney Woods, Texas. This was one of the final things her mother touched and Nora feels that it is important enough for her to drive to an oil – bust town in Texas and deliver it personally. Have you ever had a mystery in your life that you just couldn't let alone? I don't think I've ever had a mystery that propelled me to a different state, but I do see things every day that I'm curious about. I often go about observing people with my writer's binoculars. I see people helping people or not helping people and wonder what made them that way. There are characters walking among us. They just don't know that. Everything around you is a mystery. If you just take a moment to look at it. What kind of person delivers Meals on Wheels? What kind of person takes your park at the mall? What kind of person turns in their taxes. At 11:52 PM on April 15?

Taking time to unravel the mysteries of life can give you a new outlook and a childlike curiosity. Whenever I find myself waiting in an airport. I like to sit quietly and watch people as they board and disembark from planes. Some are in a hurry, some are confused, some are extremely tired. Some are looking at me thinking, what an interesting character I would make. Next time you find yourself waiting in a doctor's office, an airport, or in your car watching for your kids after school, take a minute to observe your surroundings and find a mystery to unravel.

My final question for the comment section is how far would you go to deliver a mystery letter?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $20 Amazon gift card and a free digital copy of Murder of a Good Man. Join my mailing list to be updated on my latest books and news on cozy mystery giveaways.

Thanks for letting me come visit today and here's hoping you look around you and find my newest mystery, Murder of a Good Man!

– Teresa

Giveaway
TOUR PARTICIPANTS 
January 19 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW 
January 19 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST 
January 20 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT 
January 20 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT 
January 21 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 
January 21 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
January 22 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW, INTERVIEW 
January 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW 
January 23 – The Self-Rescue Princess – CHARACTER GUEST POST 
January 23 – Books Direct – GUEST POST 
January 24 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – REVIEW 
January 24 – The Montana Bookaholic – SPOTLIGHT 
January 25 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW 
January 25 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
January 26 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book - REVIEW
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January 17, 2018

Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton - Character Guest Post and Giveaway

 

Book details
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series 
Kensington (January 30, 2018) 
Paperback: 256 pages 
ISBN-13: 978-1496711878 
E-Book ASIN: B071HKMK38
  

Book description
Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby Deputy Donut. But after murder claims a favorite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime—or stay alive.

If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst—especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her—murdered among a scattering of stale donuts . . .

Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .

Meet the author - Ginger Bolton
Ginger Bolton writes the Deputy Donut mystery series--cops, crime, coffee, donuts and one curious cat. When Ginger isn't writing or reading, she's crocheting, knitting, sewing, walking her two rescue dogs and generally causing trouble. She’s also fond of donuts, coffee, and cafes were folks gather to enjoy those tasty treats and one another’s company.

Author Links Webpage: http://gingerbolton.com/ 
Ginger has joined Killer Characters! http://www.killercharacters.com 

Guest post
WISCONSIN WINTER WONDERLAND 
by Emily Westhill from SURVIVAL OF THE FRITTERS by Ginger Bolton 

In northern Wisconsin, we’re used to snow. We cope. So, when Tom, my business partner at Deputy Donut, called at five in the morning and told me not to rush to work through the foot or more of snow that had fallen during the night, I said I wouldn’t.

But I knew I would.

For one thing, I lived much closer to our coffee and donut shop than Tom did. I knew he would be there, if not as early as usual, in time to serve fresh donuts and coffee to our patrons. Tom used to be Fallingbrook’s police chief. He could drive through conditions that might cause other hardy northerners to roll over in bed and pull the covers over their heads.

For another thing, many of the customers at Deputy Donut were first responders. A little snow didn’t keep them from work, or from their breaks. They might be able to make coffee at emergency medical services headquarters, the police station, and the fire station, but as they often told Tom and me, their coffee didn’t compare to ours.

I lifted the drape and peered out through my living room window. It was still dark. Giant snowflakes swirled down underneath the nearest street light. In the driveway, my car resembled a slightly misshapen marshmallow.

I let the drape go and looked down at my tortoiseshell tabby, Dep, short for Deputy Donut. Tom and I had named our donut shop after her. “You’re not going to want to walk to work today. How about if you stay warm and snug here at home? You’ll have food, water, toys, a litter box and lots of comfy places to sleep.”

“Meow.” She trotted to the front door and stood with her nose almost glued to it.

“I’m not driving until the roads are plowed,” I informed her. “Besides, you hate being put in your carrier and riding in the car.”

She pawed at the door.

“You can’t walk in that stuff.” Actually, I wasn’t sure I could, either. I went to the kitchen and filled her food and water bowls.

Dep stayed by the front door. “Okay,” I finally said. “Let’s try that sling pouch I made for you that day it was raining really hard.” That day, Dep had ridden in luxury in the pouch and had watched the passing world through my clear plastic poncho. She had seemed perfectly happy. She was very fond of being held close and cuddled.

I put on my cross-country ski boots and then dug out the sling pouch and put it on. Dep let me tuck her inside it. She was even purring. I managed to zip an extra-roomy jacket over the bulging pouch, just high enough for Dep to peek over the partially closed zipper and see where we were going. Imagining tangling my ski poles in the trailing corners of the poncho, I left the poncho inside.

In winter, I kept my skis and poles on the front porch. I carried them to my front walk. As the first snowflakes brushed past her ears, Dep scrunched down into my jacket. I pulled the zipper up so she could shelter completely inside my jacket, snapped on my skis, and mushed out to the street through snow that was too deep for easy skiing.

Sometime during the night, snowmobiles had traveled along the road. In their tracks, I picked up the pace. Dep was a warm and quiet bundle on my chest. No one else was out, and I kept up a nice rhythm all the way to Deputy Donut.

Tom’s SUV was already in the lot behind our shop. I left the skis and poles on the back porch and took Dep into the shop’s office, where she had food, water, toys, a litter box, and comfy places to sleep—just like at home. But in the office at work, she also had her own playground. Tom and I had built multi-level catwalks, complete with tunnels, up near the ceiling. She scrambled up one of her carpeted columns to her playground. I took of my boots, put on my sneakers, and shut Dep into the office.

Tom was in the kitchen, making batter and dough and heating the oil in the deep-fryers.

We opened on time.

My best friends, Misty and Samantha, came in moments later. Misty was a police officer and Samantha was an Emergency Medical Technician. They’d both been working all night, clearing fender-benders and shuttling injured people to the hospital. They looked exhausted.

I brought them hot coffee, a full-bodied medium roast from Columbia, and warm, raised donuts. They thanked Tom and me for opening on a snowy morning. “We really needed this,” they said.

 Giveaway
TOUR PARTICIPANTS 
January 17 – Babs Book Bistro – REVIEW, GUEST POST 
January 17 – A Holland Reads - CHARACTER GUEST POST 
January 17 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW 
January 18 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW 
January 18 – La libreria di Beppe – SPOTLIGHT 
January 18 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW 
January 19 – MJBReviewers – REVIEW 
January 19 – StoreyBook Reviews - REVIEW 
January 20 – Book Babble – REVIEW 
January 20 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST 
January 21 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW 
January 21 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST 
January 22 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 
January 22 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
January 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT 
January 23 – The Power of Words – REVIEW 
January 24 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW 
January 24 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW 
January 25 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
January 25 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW 
January 26 – Varietats – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST 
January 26 – Girl with Book Lungs – REVIEW 
January 27 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW 
January 27 – Carole's Book Corner - SPOTLIGHT 
January 28 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW 
January 28 – A Blue Million Books - INTERVIEW 
January 29 – That's What She's Reading – REVIEW 
January 29 – Valerie's Musings - REVIEW 
January 30 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST 
January 30 – Socrates' Book Reviews – REVIEW
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