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Review: Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower
Mums and Mayham
Amanda Flower
A Magic Garden Mystery, Book 3
A famous fiddler has been kilt. A magic garden’s left to wilt. Does Fiona Knox’s father hold the guilt? Will florist Fiona’s blood be spilt?
World-famous fiddle player Barley McFee arrives in blustery Bellewick, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for a grand homecoming concert organized by jeweler Bernice Brennan. Fiona Knox, owner of the Climbing Rose Flower Shop, is starting to regret volunteering to help with the concert. Bernice is an exacting taskmaster, and Fiona has enough tension dealing with her parents, who have traveled from Tennessee to visit Fi and her younger sister, Isla, and to reveal a secret about Fi’s birth. But when Barley is found dead in his trailer during the concert’s intermission, and his death is shockingly tied to Fiona’s father, Fiona discovers there are more secrets surrounding her family than she realized.
Much to the chagrin of handsome Neil Craig, Chief Inspector of the County Aberdeen Police, Fiona delves into the case to clear her father’s name. To make matters worse, Fiona learns that Duncreigan, the magical garden that she inherited from her godfather, is dying. At some point during the concert, someone broke into the garden and cut the centuries-old climbing rose–the source of the garden’s magic–from the standing stone.
The stakes are higher than ever and Fiona could lose all that she’s grown unless she’s able to dispel this terrible curse and dig up the truth–fast.
4 Stars
A sweet touch of romance, some family drama,a bit of magic and a twisted mystery wrapped all in one. Mums and Mayhem is an entertaining read.
Fiona Knox has more than a little going on. She’s part of the merchant Society preparing for a major concert in their little town, dealing with a dead body in her garden, someone trying to sabotage her garden and family secrets that she can’t seem to find the answer she needs. A flower shop owner who has a knack for solving mysteries and the holder of a legacy that she doesn’t quite understand. Fiona is smart, funny and just beginning to see what this new life of hers in Scotland is all about. Yet dead bodies have a tendency to fall within her path.
As the mystery unfolds this one hits a little too close to home as the family secrets unfold and answers Fiona has been waiting for our revealed. The characters drive the story with their charm, personality and charisma making it very difficult for the reader to guess who done it on this one. Author Amanda Flower adds just enough of a magical touch to keep the story very interesting without making it a full-blown paranormal. The magical garden series is quite magical and this latest installment of Mums and Mayhem it’s a wonderful addition to this cute and sweet series.
Review: Drilled by Jayne Rylon
Drilled
Jayne Rylon
The Original Powertools Crew Returns, Book 2
Published: August 11, 2020
The original Powertools crew is back in a brand new series!
Starting over is never easy. Especially when it means leaving your friends and lovers behind.
Separation anxiety gives Morgan second thoughts about defecting from Powertools, making things rocky between her and her husband Joe. A visit from the crew, who attend a wedding at their friends’ motorcycle garage, Hot Rides, could change everything.
While celebrating the new commitment, it’s nearly impossible to deny the strength of their own complicated bonds. Their marriages, their friendships, and their futures hang in the balance.
At the end of the festivities, who will stay and who will go?
This is a standalone book set in the Powertools universe. All your favorite Hot Rods and Hot Rides characters will be making appearances as well. Some come make new book boyfriends or hang out with old ones.
4 Stars
Change is never easy whether it be good or bad. The power tools crew is showing us firsthand the roller coaster ride of emotions that can come when change happens to people that are bonded in more ways than most.
Kate and Mike, the couple that started it all, are the main focus of Drilled. Mike is not just their Forman, lover and leader, he carries the voice of reason In many aspects and always lends willing hand to any of the crew in need. When an accident happens on Joe’s new crew in Middletown and he feels the weight of the world on his shoulders he calls the one man that will give it to him straight and will understand. Mike!
Mike heads to Middletown a few days early to help Joe and soon realizes why Joe was so torn with his recent decisions. Kate informs Mike of a change coming and the emotions just continue from there. Whether they be all in one room or miles apart the crew will always be the crew. Bonds tighter than tighter, emotional intimacy and a family beyond blood. Then a tragedy hit home causing the crew parts on extremely emotional terms, yet in the height of this tragedy a new opportunity just may be on the rise.
Drilled is an emotional and sexy tale of the Crew continuing their lives and the changes that face this bonded group. Surprises come in many shapes and forms and Drilled is another enjoy part of their journey.
Review: The Key Lime Crime by Lucy Burdette
The Key Lime Crime
Lucy Burdette
A Key West Food Critic Mystery, Book 10
National bestselling author Lucy Burdette’s tenth Key West Food Critic mystery is piping hot with pie-enthusiasts and murder suspects.
When a fierce rivalry between key lime pie bakers leads to a pastry chef’s murder, food critic Hayley Snow is fit to be pied.
During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the year-round population of Key West, Florida, faces a tsunami of tourists and snowbirds. It doesn’t help that outrageously wealthy key lime pie aficionado David Sloan has persuaded the city to host his pie-baking contest. Every pie purveyor on the island is out to win the coveted Key Lime Key to the City and Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow is on the scene to report it.
Meanwhile, Hayley’s home life is turning more tart than sweet. Hayley’s new hubby, police detective Nathan Bransford, announces that her intimidating mother-in-law is bearing down on the island for a surprise visit. Hayley offers to escort Nathan’s crusty mom on the iconic Conch Train Tour of the island’s holiday lights, but it becomes a recipe for disaster when they find a corpse among the glittering palm trees and fantastic flamingos. The victim–Au Citron Vert’s controversial new pastry chef–was a frontrunner in Sloan’s contest.
It’s bad enough that Hayley’s too-curious mother-in-law is cooking up trouble. Now, the murderer is out to take a slice out of Hayley. Can she handle the heat of a killer’s kitchen?
4 Stars
Holidays, key lime pie and murder, The Key Lime Crime is a deliciously entertaining cozy mystery.
As if life isn’t crazy enough for food critic and newlywed Hayley Snow with it being Christmas in the beautiful Key West, there is a Key Lime Pie contest that every baker in town is trying to win and she is a judge. All the while trying to finish out her articles for the remainder of the year. Toss in a surprise visit from her new mother-in-law that turns her into a tour guide that has them stumbling upon a dead body. I believe the day just got worse.
Key Lime Crime is a funny and entertaining cozy mystery. If you are not craving several slices of key lime pie by the time you’re reading then somethings just not right. Hayley is a wonderful character that readers can relate with. She smart, charming, in love and a good person. She’s still becoming comfortable in her new married life, as many readers can relate to. Hayley navigates the reader through an interesting and twisting plot that keeps you guessing. You see significant character growth within one book. As being a primary romance reader that is something I see frequently within romance but not quite so much in cozies. I definitely enjoyed that factor of the book. This is a long going series that fortunately I stumbled upon and was able to pick up at book 10 and didn’t feel like I was left out from anything of previous books. Author Lucy Burdette twisted a fantastic mystery well giving you fantastic descriptions of every possible Way of having Keylime pie. I very much enjoyed Key Lime Crime. I look forward to going back to previous books in the series and truly getting to know these characters.
Review: Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison
Death at High Tide
Hannah Dennison
Island Sisters Mystery, Book 1
In the first installment in the delightful Island Sisters series, two sisters inherit an old hotel in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall and find it full of intrigue, danger, and romance.
When Evie Mead’s husband, Robert, suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, a mysterious note is found among his possessions. It indicates that Evie may own the rights to an old hotel on Tregarrick Rock, one of the Isles of Scilly.
Still grieving, Evie is inclined to leave the matter to the accountant to sort out. Her sister Margot, however, flown in from her glamorous career in LA, has other plans. Envisioning a luxurious weekend getaway, she goes right ahead and buys two tickets–one way–to Tregarrick.
Once at the hotel–used in its heyday to house detective novelists, and more fixer-upper than spa resort, after all–Evie and Margot attempt to get to the bottom of things. But the foul-tempered hotel owner claims he’s never met the late Robert, even after Evie finds framed photos of them–alongside Robert’s first wife–in his office. The rest of the island inhabitants, ranging from an ex-con receptionist to a vicar who communicates with cats, aren’t any easier to read.
But when a murder occurs at the hotel, and then another soon follows, frustration turns to desperation. There’s no getting off the island at high tide. And Evie and Margot, the only current visitors to Tregarrick, are suspects one and two. It falls to them to unravel secrets spanning generations–and several of their own–if they want to make it back alive.
4 Stars
The Island Sisters Series is off to an entertaining and enjoyable start with Death at High Tide.
Evie Mead is in quite a spot. Her husband suddenly dies, she finds out they’re broke, a mysterious letter from her late husband finds its way into her hands and her sister, Margot, has a crazy idea to figure things out. These two sisters are very different yet extremely hilarious together. You can tell they have a bond even though they’ve been away from each other for years.
The seaside town of Tregarrick is a unique setting. I loved the hotel, once used as a mystery writer’s getaway. Even with its outdated decor it had a whimsical charm. Like most small towns, everyone knows everyone and the inhabitants of this town make up a colorful cast of unique, strange yet entertaining individuals. There are many secrets floating around and when several murders occur within a short time, checking out a simple hotel becomes something much more complicated.
This is my first read by Author Hannah Dennison and I will admit I am pleasantly surprised. The characters had a lot of personality, layers and a bit of mystery to the. The setting is amazing with just a touch of a gothic feel. Winter seas can do that. Lol. The story was well paced and entertaining. The mystery was well plotted and I honestly hadn’t figured out who had actually done it. This is one of those stories that will suck you in and before you know it you have finished the book in one sitting. Evie and Margot are an interesting pair and I look forward to seeing what interesting situations these two will find themselves in.
Review: Peachy Scream by Anna Gerard
Peachy Scream
Anna Gerard
Georgia B&B Series, Book 2
To die or not to die? Georgia B&B proprietor Nina Fleet struts and frets to bring the curtain down on a Shakespearean actor’s killer.
It’s nothing short of inevitable that Cymbeline, GA, hosts an annual Shakespeare festival. But stage-struck Nina Fleet is about to learn that putting on an amateur theatrical production can be murder. Nina’s anticipating showbiz glamour and glitz when a community Shakespearean troupe arrives for a two-week stay at her B&B. But the lights dim when she learns the company’s director is her nemesis, struggling actor Harry Westcott–who still claims to be the rightful heir to Nina’s elegant Queen Anne home.
Meanwhile, the troupe members are not content to leave the drama upon the stage. Accusations of infidelity and financial malfeasance make a shambles of rehearsals. And then, two days into the troupe’s stay, the lead actor is found dead in Nina’s formal Shakespeare garden. Murder most foul!
Worse, it seems every member of the amateur troupe has a motive–including wealthy construction company owner Marvin Jeffers, who seems to have a personal interest in Nina. But when the sheriff arrests the supposed boyfriend of the slain actor’s widow, Nina suspects that the wrong troupe member is in jail. She and her trusty Australian Shepherd, Matilda, join forces (none too happily) with Harry to sleuth out the murder plot.
Will they find the real killer before someone else shuffles off this mortal coil? Find out in Anna Gerard’s delightful second Georgia B&B mystery.
4 Stars
Peachy Scream has the most diverse cast of characters that contribute to the every twisting plot of this tale. A very entertaining read.
Nina Fleet has started over in life with a wonderful and cozy B&B that is as charming as she is. Geared up for the Local Shakespeare festival Nina’s hands just got full as the Theater group that is performing the play will now be using her B&B for their accommodations. A wonderful windfall that she cannot refuse yet comes with a bit of baggage in the form of the troop leader Harry, the newest nemesis in her life. Then to make things worse one of the guests is found dead. Nina is not having the best of weeks. Determined to figure out who the killer is and remove the tarnishment on her business his reputation, Nina is one tough cookie with some gutsy ideas that down to the bottom of the mystery.
With as much drama as a Shakespeare play itself, Peachy Scream is a very entertaining read. This is definitely a character driven story. There are so many personalities and interesting people that draw you into the story. Just wait until you get to meet the Reverend. Author Anne Gerard has done something extremely unique with the story. In retrospect the plot is really quite simple however her talented writing will constantly keep the reader guessing as to who and why. The B & B is truly charming and I’m sure I’m not the only reader that would enjoy a visit. The setting is spot on, the story is engaging and I guarantee you’ll love the way these characters interact with one another. A wonderful cozy mystery with a wonderful helping of humor add it in.
Review: The Love Scam by MaryJanice Davidson
The Love Scam
MaryJanice Davidson
Danger Series, Book 2
A sweet and sassy contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson.
Rake Tarbell is in trouble. When the fabulously wealthy and carefree bachelor wakes up horribly hungover in Venice, it’s not something that would normally be a problem…except he has no idea how he got there from California. Or who stole his wallet. Or who emptied his bank account of millions. Or who in the world is Lillith, the charming little girl claiming to be his long lost daughter. For the first time in his life, Rake is on his own and throwing Benjamins around aren’t going to solve his problem. Now if only the gorgeous, fun, and free-spirited woman who brought Lillith into his life was willing to help the situation…
Claire Delaney finds Rake’s problems hilarious and is not in the least bit sorry of adding to them by bringing Lillith into the mix. A pretty Midwestern girl with a streak for mischief, Rake is not the kind of man Claire hangs around with. Even if he is drop-dead handsome and charming as all get-out. Even if he needs help and she has all the answers. But if this helps Lillith, she will go out of her way. And with a guy like Rake, she’s willing to bend her rules a bit for some fun. But when adventure-filled days turn to romantic nights as they search for answers, and someone starts following them through the streets of Venice, Claire realizes she’s playing more than just a game. And maybe, just maybe, she isn’t willing to let go of Rake or Lillith just yet.
3 Stars
The Love Scam is a light hearted romantic comedy that is heavy on the tropes. A millionaire bachelor waking up with the worst hangover of his life only to soon find out he has a daughter that he never had even known and all his money is gone. While the story has a great concept and some absolutely lovely characters I felt like I was missing some along the way. As I realize this is the second book in the series that could be the reason for my feeling of missing something. I did find several enjoyable moments throughout the read. There is some Seriously funny dialogue amongst the characters that will have you laughing out loud. Well this may not have been my favorite book of the year, I do have to say I found enjoyable moments within The Love Scam.
Review: Want You to Want Me by Lorelei James
Want You To Want Me
Lorelei James
Want You series, Book 2
The new sexy contemporary romance in New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James’s Want You series, set in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Hockey player Gabriella “Gabi” Welk spent her life in pursuit of championships, but she has little to show for it besides dusty trophies and second-place medals. Now her career consists of several part-time jobs to make ends meet. When Gabi gets a chance at her dream job, she swallows her pride and asks her nemesis–smart, sexy and savvy Nolan Lund–for help.
Since being named future CEO of Lund Industries, Nolan has tried hard to overcome his reputation as a fun-loving playboy and ladies’ man. For the first time ever, he’s more focused on the company than his personal life. He spends his free time at the ice rink his brother owns, cheering on his niece at her hockey games…and watching Gabriella Welk, the superstar athlete and assistant coach who gets under his skin in a way he can’t ignore. He’s shocked when Gabi agrees to trade a favor for a favor.
They have little in common besides their mutual mistrust, but between family crises and sibling rivalries, Nolan and Gabi realize they want to be more than just friends–much more.
5 A sweet and sexy slow burn kind of romance that gets you in the right spots. Want You to Want Me is a fantastic read to get lost in.
Nolan Lund is the never settle down, fun loving, different woman on his arm kind of man. With a personal shopper and always dresses to the nines there is no wonder the man has gained the nickname of the Prince of LI. Nolan is honest in what he does. He may be a ladies man but he’s no player. Nolan is smart and willing yet still has a lot to learn. In many aspects of his life. I enjoyed how his romantic side emerged when he realized that everything he thought about his type was blown out the window when love smacked him in the face before he even knew what was happening.
Gabi Welk is a force. An amazing hockey player and a fantastic coach. This woman has a talent and determination to achieve anything she could possibly want. Her will is almost as strong as her compassion and heart. There is more to Gabi than meets the eye and that is just the beginning of what I loved about her. Her tough exterior hides to the world her own self doubt. At what could be one of her lowest of low an unlikely Prince in fancy pants knocks down a wall or two and allows Gabi so see someone more.
The verbal sparring and bickering between these two are worth the read alone. The back and forth, pushing each other’s buttons, showing each other both the will and stubbornness they possess. I love their slow burn and build up. They way Gabi and Nolan got to know one another and build something wanted and needed was natural and remarkable. They allowed each other to be themselves. Even if it took them both a bit to figure it out. Enemies to lovers and opposites attract, Gabi and Nolan have an emotional story but I know you will be entertained. Ms. James gives readers heart, humor and sexiness wrapped up beautifully in Want You to Want Me.
Review: What the Heart Wants by Audrey Carlan
What the Heart Wants
Audrey Carlan
Wish Series, Book 1
From the #1 bestselling author of the beloved Calendar Girl books comes the first in a witty, wise and emotionally compelling new series, where coming home is just the beginning…
“Fly free.”
For ten years those words, written on pink parchment paper in her mother’s beautiful handwriting, have been Suda Kaye Ross’s guiding star. Every year on her birthday, Suda Kaye opens another of the letters her mother penned before she passed, heeding the advice inside as she fills her life with experiences. From Italy to Australia, from Rio to Russia, she’s slaked her wanderlust. And then, on her twenty-eighth birthday, she opens the letter that sends her home.
Returning to Colorado means confronting everything—and everyone—she left behind, including her cherished sister, Evie, and her first love, Camden Bryant. Suda Kaye and Cam spent four years and one unforgettable night together. Given the way she ran out on him, it’s no surprise that he’s wary, resentful…and engaged to someone else. Evie, hardworking and überresponsible, just wants her sister to put down roots at last.
For Evie’s sake, and her own, Suda Kaye is trying to build a new life, all the while wondering whether it’s too late to come back home—or if the most important part of her never really left.
5 Stars
What the Heart Wants is a heartwarming, emotional tale of coming full circle and making life what you want. A fantastic 5 Stars read.
Suda Kaye is a free spirit. A go with the flow kind of girl. Going wherever whenever the need and want tickles her travel wings. Her wanderlust is fueled by the encouraging words written to her from mother, has allowed Suda to travel the world, be her true self and experience more than many do in a lifetime in ten years. Following the pieces of the path that her beloved mother did, Suda has lived and loved, found passion is all manners of life and spread her wings in a way that not many people get to experience. The statement live and learn takes a different meaning for this wanderer. Suda Kaye was given the opportunity to do whatever her heart desired. In a way she broke Her own heart along with those she held dearest to her when she left and let her wings fly. Even with the heartbreaking memories, Suda has no regrets. Throughout the years Suda’s late mother has given her words of wisdom through letters written before her death. A wise woman who knew her daughter well and guided her in the best way she could. On Suda’s 28th birthday, her mother’s wisdom sends her on her biggest journey yet. The journey to return home and begin to plant her roots.
Returning home to Colorado has Suda a bit uneasy but she is more than willing to make it known that she is her to stay. Her sister Evie welcomes her with open arms even if she’s skeptical that her sister is only there temporarily. The love between the two sisters is something amazing yet the bond they shared has been stretched due to Suda’s absence for the last ten years. The two could not be more different yet seeing them rebuild their bond was touching. I have a similar but different story with my own sister and was able to relate so much with them.
After being home Suda figures out what she’s going to do to keep herself at home. Opening a little boutique that is all her own with a name that you can’t mistake to know is hers. Gypsy Soul!! With the promise of great things on the horizon, Suda has the only man she truly loved thrown back into her life, in a way she can’t avoid him. Camden Bryant would be the one regret if a girl had regrets. With one look upon one another they know the feelings are still there, the chemistry never faded and the love was real. But a lot has happened in the last ten year for both Suda and Cam. Yet fate has a way of working her way into things that she feels she needs too.
I loved every page of What the Heart Wants. A story of love and loss, a journey of oneself, and bonds that can last more than a lifetime. Audrey Carlan has something magical and special with What the Heart Wants. As someone who has lost their mother and had to rebuild a relationship with my only sister, Ms. Carlan gave this reader a story I can relate to on many levels, I have felt a few of those feelings and Ms.Carlan accurately and eloquently described the crazy emotions that people going through that particular kind of loss. What the Heart Wants is so much more of a story than I can give words to to describe. What I can say is I have not had a story hit me like this in a long time. There were moments that were hard for me to read through, my tears blurred my ability to be able to read, but it was so worth it for the wonderful and beautiful story that is What the Heart Wants.
Review: More Than Dare You by Shayla Black
More Than Dare You
Shayla Black
More Than Words Series, Book 6
4 Stars
I honestly don’t know how Ms. Black does it. The intimacy level of each book of the More Than Words series is more so than the last. More Than Dare You may be the most Intimate of them all. Two people hurt by love, find themselves being swept up in the simplistic intimacy that lies within a kiss. A kiss that is the kindling needed to the beginning of something deeper, bigger and far more than either one could have expected.
I Love a single dad story. I may be biased because my own other half was a single father when we met. Trace may have been a player but he was never malicious. The man was just a lover of women. Changing his ways on a moment’s notice to make the best life for his son. Trace is fun loving and has a personality that can’t be beat yet he’s genuine and caring. He’s a man that knows that family is more than blood and family means almost everything to him.
Masey is a sweet woman who has this sassy side that I loved. She is beautiful and most of it shines from the inside out. Every bit of who she is shine through the wonderful person that she is. Coming out of a ten year relationship that was not as it seemed does things to a girl. Trying to rid herself of the lingering cloud of ex, Masey throws caution to the wind, steps out of her box and learns what she thought was nowhere near the real thing.
What should have been a one night stand quickly became an intimate journey of something more than anticipated. Masey and Trace are simply beautiful together. The beautifulness that is her nature along with that touch of sass paired with his charm, giving nature and dedication make them A fun and interesting couple. I love the patients Trace shows while allowing Masey to become comfortable with herself. Together they have fun, shared some of the most intimate moments and along the way realized that being apart from each other was no way to be. More Than Dare You will consume you in emotional intimacy from beginning to end. I dare you to give it a try.
Review: Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart
Knit of the Living Dead
Peggy Ehrhart
A Knit and Nibble Mystery, Book 6
When a spooky celebration in Arborville, New Jersey conjures real scares, can Pamela and the Knit and Nibble Club sink their teeth into a bone-chilling mystery that just won’t rest in peace?
Among the countless revelers at the town’s much-anticipated Halloween parade, a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep is the only one making people scream bloody murder. In a scene straight out of a horror movie, the Knit and Nibblers find the nursery rhyme character dead with thick strands of yarn looped around her neck. Pamela and her best friend, Bettina, are set on pinning down who wanted the woman gone forever, but it’ll take every trick they can muster to catch the culprit without becoming the next poor souls to join Little Bo Peep’s dark, endless sleep . . .
Knitting tips and delicious recipes included!
3.5 Stars
A fun Halloween themed cozy with the Knit and Nibble gang in Knit of the Living Dead.
Arborville, New Jersey is all in the spirit of Halloween with the anticipation of its local parade. When scarry fun turns into screams of murder the festivities come to an end and the sleuthing begins. Pamela along with bestie Bettina are on the case using the powers of the press and the love of yarn to finding out who murdered Lil Bo Peep.
Knit of the Living Dead has me as a newcomer to this well established series. I will admit it was easy to jump six books in. I didn’t feel like I was lost or missing out on something. Readers can totally feel the bonds of friendship that Pamela and Bettina share. They are a riot together. I loved the knitting group and that there was a male among them. I love the love of fiber throughout the story. As a yarn crafter is a touch that hits home. The town of Arborville was truly cozy. A serene setting with the colorful array of town folks that you expect within a cozy mystery. The mystery has more layers than I anticipated and was unable to figure out who had done it.
Author Peggy Ehrhart gives a fun read with many twists and gets readers ready for Halloween.
