July 28, 2021

A Glimmer of a Clue by Daryl Wood Gerber - Review

 

I received this book free from the author. All opinions are my own.

Book details
Fairy Garden Mystery #2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington (June 29, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496726367
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496726360

About the book
When Courtney's friend Wanda gets into a ponytail-pulling wrestling match in public with a nasty local art critic, Courtney stops the fight with the help of a garden hose. But Lana Lamar has a talent for escalating things and creating tension, which she succeeds in doing by threatening a lawsuit, getting into yet another scuffle--in the midst of an elegant fundraiser, no less--and lobbing insults around like pickleballs.

Next thing Courtney knows, Lana is on the floor, stabbed with a decorative letter opener from one of Courtney's fairy gardens, and Wanda is standing by asking "What have I done?" But the answer may not be as obvious as it seems, since Wanda is prone to sleepwalking and appears to be in a daze. Could she have risen from her nap and committed murder while unconscious? Or is the guilty party someone else Lana's ticked off, like her long-suffering husband? To find out, Courtney will have to dig up some dirt.

Meet the author - Daryl Wood Gerber
Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Fairy Garden Mysteries, the French Bistro Mysteries, and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, as well as the Cheese Shop Mysteries written under the name Avery Aames. She also writes standalone suspense novels and the Aspen Adams Novels of Suspense. Prior to her career as a novelist, she was an actress with roles in television shows including "Murder, She Wrote," and she wrote for the popular TV sitcom "Out of this World." Originally from the Bay Area, she now lives in Southern California where she likes to cook, garden and spend time with her frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky. Visit her online at DarylWoodGerber.com.

My thoughts
I enjoyed this book.  I like how Fiona helps with solving the crime and as she does her wings grow.  Detective Summers is nice enough to let Courtney help with solving the crimes. I know he does not like to but he knows he can't stop her and she does come up with things that he and his team do not. It is fun to visit Carmel and see all of your friends and catch up with them. The fairy theme is so cute and makes me want to creat my own fairy garden. I look forward to the next one. 

July 4, 2021

Along a Storied Trail by Ann H. Gabhart - Review

 

I received this book from the author. All opinions are my own. 

Book details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Revell (June 1, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0800737210
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0800737214

Book description
Kentucky packhorse librarian Tansy Calhoun doesn't mind the rough trails and long hours as she serves her Appalachian mountain community during the Great Depression. Yet she longs to find love like the heroines in her books. When a charming writer comes to town, she thinks she might have found it--or is the perfect man actually closer than she thinks?

Perdita Sweet has called these mountains home for so long she's nearly as rocky as the soil around her small cabin. Long ago she thought she could love, but when the object of her affection up and married someone else, she stopped giving too much of herself away to others.

As is so often the case, it's easier to see what's best for others than to see what's best for oneself, and Perdita knows who Tansy should choose. But why would anyone listen to the romantic advice of an old spinster?

Meet the author
Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of several Shaker novels--The Refuge, The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, The Blessed, and The Gifted--as well as other historical novels, including Angel Sister, These Healing Hills, River to Redemption, and An Appalachian Summer. She and her husband live on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her farm's fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dogs, Frankie and Marley. Learn more at www.annhgabhart.com.

My thoughts
I enjoyed this book. Following Tansy on her book route and getting to know each of the characters was nice. They each had their own personality. I think if I lived in that time in that place I could have had the same job as Tansy - delivering books. I thought the author did a good job  of portraying how life was then for perople.  Then you have the added part of a love story. Who should Tansy choose, her old friend or the new author who came to town?  Should she listen to her gut or good ole Aunt Perdie? In the end I think she chose the right man for her.