Murder Freshly Baked by Vannetta Chapman

I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review

Murder Freshly Baked by Vannetta Chapman

An Amish Village Mystery #3

ISBN: 9780310322177

Trade Paperback - 352 pages

Publish Date: June 9, 2015

Synopsis:

When delicious baked goods become lethal, it's time to find a killer. Kindness is a virtue Meanness is a sin Better watch your bakery pies For poison I've slipped in

The Amish Artisan Village in Middlebury, Indiana, has been decorated with every color of balloon and flower for the Race for a Cure. As manager of the Village, Amber Bowman is thrilled to see the turnout--and relieved to have something to distract her from the "Poison Poet"--an individual who has been sending notes containing bad poetry to warn of poisoned baked goods.

Then Ryan Duvall crosses the finish line of the race--and falls down dead, murdered in broad daylight. But who did it? And why? The police suspect Preston Johnston, but Amber refuses to believe her employee could do such a thing.

Amber once again looks to her young Amish friend Hannah Troyer to help her find the killer--and to determine if it's the same person leaving the cryptic poems and pies. Can they help the police before the Poison Poet strikes again? Both Amber and Hannah will need to draw on their faith as they fight to preserve the peaceful community they've built at the Amish Artisan Village.

Review:

This Amish Village in Middlebury, Indiana is such a nice place to get to revisit through this series. Now this is the third book in this series and although you will want to read the whole series. You are able to read this as a standalone as you will have clues and such at the beginning of the story so you will know what is going on.  Just like the other books in this series I have enjoyed reading this mystery. I have enjoyed getting to know each of the characters more as we go along. I really enjoy the way Amber and Hannah interact with each other. It is fun to watch them try to figure out who is the murder. Vannetta has a way of writing about the Amish that she makes you feel as you are right there in the village. I like how you don’t solve the mystery right away, the author keeps you guessing until the end of the story. There is mystery, faith and love in this book – a little something for all. If you are a fan of mysteries or Amish books then I suggest you give this book a try. I look forward to the next book in this series. 

Books That Caught My Eye - May 20th

This is a meme by Mailbox Monday that talks about books that caught their eye on the Mailbox Monday threads. I am going to do a little twist on mine and tell you about books that I have found I would like to read. 

The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett

Synopsis:

A mysterious portrait ignites an antiquarian bookseller’s search through time and the works of Shakespeare for his lost love

Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books, The Bookman’s Tale is a former bookseller’s sparkling novel and a delightful exploration of one of literature’s most tantalizing mysteries with echoes of Shadow of the Wind and A.S. Byatt's Possession.

Nine months after the death of his beloved wife Amanda left him shattered, Peter Byerly, a young antiquarian bookseller, relocates from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping to outrun his grief and rediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, he discovers a Victorian watercolor of a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Amanda.
 
Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture’s origins and braves a host of dangers to follow a trail of clues back across the centuries—all the way to Shakespeare’s time and a priceless literary artifact that could prove, once and for all, the truth about the Bard’s real identity.

First Impressions  by Charlie Lovett

Synopsis:

A thrilling literary mystery costarring Jane Austen from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookman’s Tale

Charlie Lovett first delighted readers with his New York Times bestselling debut, The Bookman’s Tale. Now, Lovett weaves another brilliantly imagined mystery, this time featuring one of English literature’s most popular and beloved authors: Jane Austen.

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.

Secrets of a Lady by Tracy Grant

Synopsis:

In the glittering world of Regency London, where gossip is exchanged—and reputations ruined—with the tilt of a fan, Mélanie Fraser is the perfect wife. Devoted to her husband, Charles, the grandson of a duke, she is acknowledged as society's most charming hostess. But just as the elegant façade of Regency London hides a dark side, Mélanie is not what she seems. She has a secret: one that could destroy her perfect jewel-box life forever . . . and the cost to keep it is an exquisite heirloom ring surrounded by legend and power. The search for it will pull Mélanie and Charles into a gritty underworld of gin-soaked brothels, elegant gaming hells, and debtors' prisons. In this maze of intrigue, deception is second nature and betrayal can come far too easily . . .

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karon Abbott

Synopsis:

Karen Abbott, the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and “pioneer of sizzle history” (USA Today), tells the spellbinding true story of four women who risked everything to become spies during the Civil War.

Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous women—a socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow—who were spies.

After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.

Using a wealth of primary source material and interviews with the spies’ descendants, Abbott seamlessly weaves the adventures of these four heroines throughout the tumultuous years of the war. With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy draws you into the war as these daring women lived it.

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy contains 39 black & photos and 3 maps. 

Crazy Rich by Jerry Oppenheimer

Synopsis:

From the founders of the international health-care behemoth Johnson & Johnson in the late 1800s to the contemporary Johnsons of today, such as billionaire New York Jets owner Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV, all is revealed in this scrupulously researched, unauthorized biography by New York Times bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer. Often compared to the Kennedy clan because of the tragedies and scandals that had befallen both wealthy and powerful families, Crazy Rich, based on scores of exclusive, candid, on-the-record interviews, reveals how the  dynasty's vast fortune was both intoxicating and toxic through the generations of a family that gave the world Band-Aids and Baby Oil. At the same time, they've been termed perhaps the most dysfunctional family in the fortune 500. Oppenheimer is the author of biographies of the Kennedys, the Clintons, the Hiltons and Martha Stewart, among other American icons.

The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless

Synopsis:

"The Wild Truth is an important book on two fronts: It sets the record straight about a story that has touched thousands of readers, and it opens up a conversation about hideous domestic violence hidden behind a mask of prosperity and propriety."–NPR.org

The spellbinding story of Chris McCandless, who gave away his savings, hitchhiked to Alaska, walked into the wilderness alone, and starved to death in 1992, fascinated not just New York Times bestselling author Jon Krakauer, but also the rest of the nation. Krakauer's book,Into the Wild, became an international bestseller, translated into thirty-one languages, and Sean Penn's inspirational film by the same name further skyrocketed Chris McCandless to global fame. But the real story of Chris’s life and his journey has not yet been told - until now. The missing pieces are finally revealed in The Wild Truth, written by Carine McCandless, Chris's beloved and trusted sister.  Featured in both the book and film, Carine has wrestled for more than twenty years with the legacy of her brother's journey to self-discovery, and now tells her own story while filling in the blanks of his. Carine was Chris's best friend, the person with whom he had the closest bond, and who witnessed firsthand the dysfunctional and violent family dynamic that made Chris willing to embrace the harsh wilderness of Alaska. Growing up in the same troubled household, Carine speaks candidly about the deeper reality of life in the McCandless family. In the many years since the tragedy of Chris's death, Carine has searched for some kind of redemption. In this touching and deeply personal memoir, she reveals how she has learned that real redemption can only come from speaking the truth.

740 Park by Michael Gross

Synopsis:

For seventy-five years, it’s been Manhattan’s richest apartment building, and one of the most lusted-after addresses in the world. One apartment had 37 rooms, 14 bathrooms, 43 closets, 11 working fireplaces, a private elevator, and his-and-hers saunas; another at one time had a live-in service staff of 16. To this day, it is steeped in the purest luxury, the kind most of us could only imagine, until now. 

The last great building to go up along New York’s Gold Coast, construction on 740 Park finished in 1930. Since then, 740 has been home to an ever-evolving cadre of our wealthiest and most powerful families, some of America’s (and the world’s) oldest money—the kind attached to names like Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Bouvier, Chrysler, Niarchos, Houghton, and Harkness—and some whose names evoke the excesses of today’s monied elite: Kravis, Koch, Bronfman, Perelman, Steinberg, and Schwarzman. All along, the building has housed titans of industry, political power brokers, international royalty, fabulous scam-artists, and even the lowest scoundrels.

The book begins with the tumultuous story of the building’s construction. Conceived in the bubbling financial, artistic, and social cauldron of 1920’s Manhattan, 740 Park rose to its dizzying heights as the stock market plunged in 1929—the building was in dire financial straits before the first apartments were sold. The builders include the architectural genius Rosario Candela, the scheming businessman James T. Lee (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s grandfather), and a raft of financiers, many of whom were little more than white-collar crooks and grand-scale hustlers. 

Once finished, 740 became a magnet for the richest, oldest families in the country: the Brewsters, descendents of the leader of the Plymouth Colony; the socially-registered Bordens, Hoppins, Scovilles, Thornes, and Schermerhorns; and top executives of the Chase Bank, American Express, and U.S. Rubber. Outside the walls of 740 Park, these were the people shaping America culturally and economically. Within those walls, they were indulging in all of the Seven Deadly Sins. 

As the social climate evolved throughout the last century, so did 740 Park: after World War II, the building’s rulers eased their more restrictive policies and began allowing Jews (though not to this day African Americans) to reside within their hallowed walls. Nowadays, it is full to bursting with new money, people whose fortunes, though freshly-made, are large enough to buy their way in. 

At its core this book is a social history of the American rich, and how the locus of power and influence has shifted haltingly from old bloodlines to new money. But it’s also much more than that: filled with meaty, startling, often tragic stories of the people who lived behind 740’s walls, the book gives us an unprecedented access to worlds of wealth, privilege, and extraordinary folly that are usually hidden behind a scrim of money and influence. This is, truly, how the other half—or at least the other one hundredth of one percent—lives.

The Last Witness by Jerry Amernic - Spotlight and Guest Post

The Last Witness by Jerry Amernic

ISBN: 97809900421658

Paperback - 334 Pages

Synopsis:

The year is 2039, and Jack Fisher is the last living survivor of the Holocaust. Set in a world that is abysmally complacent about events of the last century, Jack is a 100-year-old man whose worst memories took place before he was 5. His story hearkens back to the Jewish ghetto of his birth and to Auschwitz where, as a little boy, he had to fend for himself to survive after losing his family. Jack becomes the central figure in a missing-person investigation when his granddaughter suddenly disappears. While assisting police, he finds himself in danger and must reach into the darkest corners of his memory to come out alive.

Guest Post:

What is a thriller? 

by Jerry Amernic

I came across thriller writing by accident. No kidding. I was writing quick-paced novels with a lot of history attached to them in the form of flashbacks. So I figured my genre had to be historical fiction. Well, it was and it wasn’t.

The Last Witness is about the last living survivor of the Holocaust in the near future, at a time when knowledge of past history is on the decline. (In fact, it’s on the decline already, but that’s one for another day). In the novel the reader sees my character as a little boy living in a Jewish ghetto in Poland during the early stages of World War II, and later as he struggles to survive at Auschwitz.

These flashbacks run parallel to the modern-day story (actually the near-future story since it takes place in 2039) with that little boy as a 100-year-old man who is having a lot of trouble convincing people about his story.

A literary agent at a writer’s conference I attended two summers ago made me realize what I was writing when I didn’t even realize it myself.

“You are writing a futuristic thriller,” she said, and she was right.

I remain forever indebted to that agent for letting me see the light. Up to that point I thought my stuff was historical fiction, but that wasn’t really the case. Historical fiction normally involves a story taking place at a particular time. It may be about Catherine the Great, Julius Caesar, or the trials and tribulations of an ordinary family during a great battle from another era. But that doesn’t make a book a thriller.

A thriller has to be a page-turner, and this is exactly what I’ll be teaching at a writer’s conference this summer. I have the pleasure of being part of the teaching faculty at the annual conference for the Cape Cod Writers Center at Hyannis, Massachusetts in August. With the theme of ‘inspired storytelling by the sea’, this is sure to be a beautiful venue for writers. I’ll be doing three things at the conference:

      ·         Teaching a three-part course on thriller writing called Thrillers - On the Edge of                Your Seat.

·         Teaching a one-part course called Research Skills for Writers.

·         Mentoring those who want one-on-one sessions regarding work they submit.

The thriller-writing course will include things like how to keep your readers in suspense as the plot develops, the key elements of great thrillers, techniques used by master storytellers, and sections on plot, story line, creating tension, and pacing.

An editor once explained to me that it’s all about giving the story legs, which is a great way to put it. The story has to keep moving all the time so the reader stays tuned. In fact, the best thriller writers are so good at this that the reader never wants to leave the book.

The very first person to review The Last Witness on Amazon said that she read the entire book in one sitting through the night. She said she couldn’t put it down, and that parts of the story moved her so much that she was crying right there in her bed.

Any writer who hears something like that from a reader has a sense of mission accomplished. The trick, of course, is to be able to do that with lots of readers.

Mailbox Monday - May 18

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share what came in their mailbox. This meme has a permanent home at Mailbox Monday and was created by Marcia at To Be Continued I am linking up to Mailbox Monday. 

Bought

Give it Up by Mary Carlomagno

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

A Lady's Honor by Laurie Alice Eakes

Review

Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund

Love's Rescue by Christine Johnson

The Case of the Sin City Sister by Lynne Hinton

Bye Bye Love by K.J. Larsen

Give It Up! by Mary Carlomagno

Like most people, Mary Carlomagno was stressed out, overscheduled, and tripping over th clutter of her days - until she decided to take control and simplify her life. Give IT Up! is Mary's chronicle of he year she renounced one thing a month every month - from alcohol to chocolate to  newspapers to elevators to cell phones - and, by doing so, was able to take stock of her life, discover what was really important, and gain a deeper appreciation of the world around her. 

Warm, humorous, and eminently sensible, Give I Up! provides a commonsense blueprint for anyone looking for a fresh start or a new outlook. It's about simplifying your life and cherishing every moment of it. 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mes of noodles?

Japanese cleaning consultant Mari Kondo takes a tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll  never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, non of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).

With detailed guidance for determining which items in our house "spark joy" (and which don't), this international best seller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home - and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire. 

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

When Kristin Kimball left New York City to interview a dynamic young farmer named Mark, her world changed. On an impulse, she shed her city self and started a new farm with him on five hundred acres near Lake Champlain. The Dirty Life is the captivating chronicle of the couple's first year on Essex Farm, from teh cold North Country winter through their harvest-season wedding in the loft of the barn. 

Kristin and Mark's plan to grow everything needed to feed a community was an ambitious idea, and a bit romantic. It worked. Every Friday evening, all year round, over a hundred people travel to Essex Farm to pick up their weekly share of the"whole diet" - beef, port, chicken, milk, eggs, maple syrup, grains, flours, dried beans, herbs, fruits, and forty different vegetables - produced by the farm. In the Dirty Life, Kristin discovers the wrenching pleasures of physical work, learns that good food is a the center of a good life, falls deeply in love, and finally finds the engagement and commitment she craved in the form of a man, a small town, ad a beautiful piece of land. 

 A Lady's Honor by Laurie Alice Eakes

England, 1811

A tarnished reputation. A distant home. A forced engagement to a dangerous man. When Elizabeth Trelawny flees London, she has more than one reason to run. And when her carriage, pursued by her would-be finance, is caught in a storm, she quickly accepts the help of a dark stranger. Anything to get back to Cornwall.

But Rowan Curnow is not exactly a stranger. He's not quite a gentleman either. Class disparity once kept him from courting Elizabeth ... even if it didn't keep him from kissing her. 

The couple elude their pursuers and reach Bastion Point, Elizabeth's future inheritance and the one place she calls home. But in the very act of spiriting her to safety, Rowan has jeopardized Elizabeth's inheritance -- if her grandfather ever earns she spent the night, however innocently, in the company of a man. 

When smugglers unite the pair in a reckless, flirtatious alliance -- an alliance that both challenges the social norms Elizabeth has been raised to revere and rattles Rowan's fledgling faith in God. Elizabeth must choose between the obedience of a child and the desires of a woman: cling to the safety of her home or follow the man she loves. 

Cliffs of Cornwall Series

#1 A Lady's Honor 

#2 A Stranger's Secret

Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund

After her father's death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren't supposed to have such roles, so it's only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper -- even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her. 

Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He's secured the position of lighthouse keeper mostly for the isolation -- the chance to hide from his past is appealing. He's not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who's angry with him for taking her job and for his inability to properly run the light. When his failing endanger others, he and Caroline realize he's in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he's unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Caroling feels drawn to this wounded soud, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to the future filled with hope ... and possibly love?

Beacons of Hope Series

#1 Love Unexpected

#2 Hearts Made Whole

 

Love's Rescue by Christine Johnson

When her mother dies, Elizabeth Benjamin heads home to Key West, determined to transform herself into the perfect Southern belle her parents always wished her to be. But nothing goes according to plan. Her brother resents her, the servants do not obey her, and Rourke O'Malley, the dashing man she vowed to forget, refuses to relinquish his hold on her heart. Worst of all, it becomes painfully obvious that her father is not hte man he appears to be. 

As family secrets come to light, Elizabeth is faced with a difficult choice: to perform her duty and abandon her dreams, or to leave her life of privilege behind to chase the man her faterh sees as little better than a pirate. 

From the first emotional page, author Christine Johnson throws you into a world of impossible choices, hidden desires, and heart-melting romance in the steamy South. 

Keys of Promise

#1 Love's Rescue

The Case of the Sin City Sister by Lynne Hinton

Sister Eve Divine recently discovered she's got a gift: turns out she's a natural at private detective work. But it is a temptation or a calling? As Eve wrestles with this question, she's taking a leave of absence from the convent, investigating a case with her PI father. 

But something else troubles Eve. It's been weeks since Eve heard from her sister, Dorisanne. And Eve's gut tells her that something sinister has happened to her difficult sibling. There's only one place Eve can find the answers she's looking for: in Dorisanne's world, under the bright lights of Sin City - Las Vegas, Nevada.

Late night visits to the casino and some clever clues hidden in an address book set Eve on a trail that soon reveals that Dorisanne's life is darker and more complicated that Eve ever expected. In the end, Eve's ability to understand her sister - and herself - may be a matter of life and death. 

Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery

#1 Sister Eve, Private Eye

#2 The Case of the Sin City Sister

Bye, Bye Love by K.J. Larsen

Chicago's Pants On Fire Detective Agency targets liars and cheats. But PI Ca DeLuca is once again up to her smokin' skinny jeans in murder. 

Cat is out running in a neighborhood park when she crashes over the faceless body of Bernie Love. Bernie was the finance guy to the scary Provenza family, with whom he grew up. And friend to Cat's shady, Ferrari-wheeling-cop Uncle Joey. As she hauls out her phone, Cat is assaulted by someone with a Rolex, stun gun, and wheelbarrow. When the cops show up, the killer is gone. And so is the body. 

Captain Bob, a stickler for habeas corpus, blows off Cat's story. Stung by a chorus of snickers from the Ninth Precinct, home base for DeLuca men, Cat vows to make her case and goes after Rolex man. The murderer, desperate to silence the only person who can place him at the part, comes after Cat. She's quickly on a collision course with the deadliest adversary she's ever encountered - but she has the help of her beagle partner, her gun-happy assistant, an ex-spy (or two), and her outrageous, interfering Italian family. Meanwhile her hot, FBI-boyfriend seems sidelined in Vegas. 

In Bye, Bye Love, K.J. Larson delivers another nail-biting tale rife with unexpected plot twists, zany characters, fabulous food, and laugh - out - loud humor. 

Cat DeLuca Mystery Series

#1 Liar, Liar 

#2 Sticks and Stones

#3 Some Like it Hot

#4 Bye, Bye Love

Some Like It Witchy by Heather Blake

Some Like it Wichy by Heather Blake

Wishcraft Mystery # 5

ISBN: 9780451465887

Mass Market Paperback

Synopsis;

The Enchanted Village is abuzz when the old Tavistock house finally goes up for sale. Darcy's friend Curecrafter Cherise Goodwin is hoping she will have the winning bi on the home, but Darcy can't shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen -- and her magical instincts are usually right.

Sure enough, while Darcy and Cherise are looking at the property, they discover real estate agent Raina Gallagher stone-cold dead on the floor. Clutched in her hand is a gemstone amulet and, and on the wall above her, a large red A. While Raina had no shortage of enemies, there's also a dark legend about the house itself. To track down the killer, Darcy must unlock the secrets of both the deceased and the estate -- and she'll need to act fast, because revenge is a deal that  never closes...

Review:

I think this may be one of my favorite books in this series yet. There were more mysteries about the residents of the Enchanted Village and I loved the diamond heist tie in. It kind of gave a little history aspect to the book. Darcy is learning a little more of her past as well. As much as I have not liked Glinda I did like seeing a different side of her coming out. I like how Darcy is also thinking more about her future with Nick. I really like him and like that he is now letting Darcy do some sleuthing without getting upset with her. Aunt Ve is a real character and I feel just like Darcy and Harper when they find out about her "personal affairs" ew. It is also fun watching Mimi grow up and be more involved in things. All in all a great book and I am not liking that I have to wait a year for the next book in this series. 

A Heart's Danger by Colleen Coble

I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for a fair and honest review

A Heart's Danger by Colleen Coble

Journey of the Heart #3

ISBN: 9780718031664

Trade Paperback - 112 pages

Synopsis: 

On the brink of war with the Sioux, Sarah risks everything to expose the betrayal threatening the man she loves.

Christmas is coming, and the air at Fort Laramie has turned cold . . . but relations with the Sioux have turned colder. As tensions between soldiers and natives approach a tipping point, a trap has been set for Rand Campbell.
Rand's new fiancée wants to keep him from returning to Sarah Montgomery . . . for whom his heart clearly still yearns.

Sarah just wants to move on with her life at Fort Laramie, but doing so under the watchful eyes of both Campbell---the man whose love she craves---and Croftner---the man whose lies have cost her everything.

Will Rand fall victim to the conspiracy and go through with his wedding? Or will he declare his love for Sarah and make good on the promises that brought her into the rugged western territories?

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1G01e4s

Review:

Colleen takes us on another adventure in this journey of the heart series. I like the sense of danger in this book, it was kind of like you could not read fast enough to see what was going to happen next. As always the characters are very well developed. Sarah is a very strong women in a very wild territory. I am really enjoying the historical aspect of this story and the interaction with the Sioux Tribe. I like that this story is broken into six installments as it makes it fun to look forward to the next one. These books are short and can be read in one sitting. Each installment leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what is going to happen next. It is important to read these in order. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. 

About the Author:

Colleen Coble has sold over 2 million novels worldwide.Seagrass Pier, the third installment in her acclaimed Hope Beach series, marks a new highpoint for emotion and complexity in Coble's addictive brand of romantic suspense.

Find Colleen online: website, Facebook, Twitter

Be sure to stop by Litfuse to see more reviews on this book. 

Enter to win the perfect pairing giveaway: three books (books one–three in Colleen's A Journey of the Heart series) and coffee to pair with your new book!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Heart's Danger
• A pound of Colleen's favorite coffee, Captain Davy's Coffee Roaster Costa Rican
• A copy of A Heart's Disguise
• A copy of A Heart's Obsession

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 31st. Winner will be announced June 1st on Colleen's website.

The Tell-Tail Heart by Monica Shaughnessy - Spotlight and Giveaway

The Tell-Tail Heart by Monica Shaughnessy

Cattarina Mystery #1

ISBN: 9780988562974

Paperback - 176 pages

Synopsis:

The untold story behind Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

Philadelphia, 1842: Poe’s cat, Cattarina, becomes embroiled in a killer’s affairs when she finds a clue to the crime – a glass eye. But it’s only when her beloved “Eddy” takes an interest that she decides to hunt down the madman. Her dangerous expedition takes her from creepy Eastern State Penitentiary to Rittenhouse Square where she runs into a gang of feral cats intent on stopping her.

As the mystery pulls Cattarina deeper into trouble, even Eddy becomes the target of suspicion. Yet she cannot give up the chase. Both her reputation as a huntress and her friend’s happiness are at stake. For if she succeeds in catching the Glass Eye Killer, the missing pieces of Eddy’s unfinished story will fall into place, and the Poe household will once again experience peace.

About the author:

Monica Shaughnessy has a flair for creating characters and plots larger than her home state of Texas. Most notably, she’s the author of the Cattarina Mysteries, a cozy mystery series starring Edgar Allan Poe’s real-life cat companion. Ms. Shaughnessy has nine books in print, including two young adult novels, a middle grade novel, a picture book, two cozy mystery novellas, and numerous short stories. Customers have praised her work time and again, calling it “unique and creative,” “fresh and original,” and “very well written.” If you’re looking for something outside the mainstream, you’ll find it in her prose. When she’s not slaying adverbs and tightening plots, she’s walking her rescue dogs, goofing around with her family, or going back to the grocery store for the hundredth time because she forgot milk.

Author Links:
www.monicashaughnessy.com
@bizarrebooks
monicashaughnessy.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/MonicaShaughnessyBooks/203514746388736

Purchase Link:
Amazon

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to stop by Escape with Dollycas to see all the stops on the tour

May 10 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
May 11 – Back Porchervations – Review
May 12 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – Guest Post
May 13 – Frankie Bow – Spotlight, Giveaway
May 14 – Griperang’s Bookmarks – Spotlight, Giveaway
May 15 – View from the Birdhouse – Interview, Giveaway
May 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight
May 17 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
May 18 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review
May 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview
May 20 – Jane Reads – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
May 21 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Interview
May 22 – Community Bookstop – Review, Giveaway
May 23 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Guest Post, Giveaway