Tag Archives: dollycas

Giveaway – French Quarter Fright Night by Ellen Byron @dollycas

Posted on by


French Quarter Fright Night (Vintage Cookbook)
by Ellen Byron

About French Quarter Fright Night

FRENCH QUARTER FRIGHT NIGHT 3


French Quarter Fright Night (Vintage Cookbook)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – the Garden District of New Orleans
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House (September 3, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448312655
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448312658
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CTHQXNM5

The third in the fabulous cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron.

Welcome to the Bon Veeevil Festival of Fear! Prepare for the spookiest night of your life . . .

It’s Halloween in New Orleans, and the staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum is setting up a fantastic haunted house tour for their visitors. But when flashy movie star Blaine Taggart and his entourage move into the mansion next door, gift shop proprietor Ricki James-Diaz gets a fright of her own.

While Ricki is excited about the potential business the tours will bring to her vintage cookbook shop, she’s less thrilled by former friend Blaine’s arrival in town. Then Bon Vee’s prop tomb becomes a real tomb for Blaine’s nasty assistant, and suddenly everyone at Bon Vee is a murder suspect. There isn’t a ghost of a chance one of them committed the crime, but with NOPD busy tackling the mischief and mayhem generated by the spooky holiday, it falls on Ricki and her friends to catch the killer.

As the Big Easy gears up for the Big Scary, it seems everyone has skeletons in their closets. Can Ricki reveal the shadowy killer before someone else becomes part of the Halloween horror show?

About Ellen Byron

Ellen is a USA Today bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, and Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico). Her new series, The Golden Motel Mysteries, recently debuted. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. Visit her at Cozy Mysteries | Ellen Byron | Author

Author Links 

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – The Poseidon Project by E William Podohil @dollycas

Posted on by


The Poseidon Project (The Herb Society Mysteries)
by E William Podojil

About The Poseidon Project


The Poseidon Project (The Herb Society Mysteries)
Mystery- Suspense – Adventure
1st in Series
Setting – Tucson, AZ and Dubai, UAE
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wild Rose Press (August 26, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 270 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1509256849
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1509256846
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CW1BKWS3

Molly Halloran and her friends have a secret past. Their bucolic retirement is suddenly upended when Molly’s husband is abducted and held for a steep ransom. Now she, her friends, her tech executive son, Lukas and his Air Force pilot boyfriend must race against the clock and travel halfway around the world to meet the kidnappers’ demands. But when they learn why her husband has been abducted, they realize how high the stakes truly are. Molly and her friends now must face their past in order to save the future. But not only their futures; the world’s.

About E William Podojil

E. William is an international business executive and novelist. He has traveled extensively and visited over sixty countries while based in Europe and the USA. Podojil works as an executive business advisor, strategist, and coach while also pursuing his love of storytelling and writing.  His second novel, The Poseidon Project, will be published in 2024 by The Wild Rose Press and is the first in a series of adventure thrillers. Podojil writes personal, humorous stories of his life and travels with his husband and three sons in his blog at www.ewpodojil.com.

Author Links
Website/Blog  Facebook   Instagram    X    Threads

Purchase Links
Amazon – B&N  – Bookshop.org 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – In The Event Of Murder by Cynthia Kuhn @cynthiakuhn @dollycas

Posted on by


 In the Event of Murder (A Starlit Bookshop Mystery)
by Cynthia Kuhn

About In the Event of Murder


In the Event of Murder (A Starlit Bookshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Colorado
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (August 20, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639100709
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639100705
Digital https://amzn.to/3xRh1X8

It’s the star-studded event of the season in Silvercrest, Colorado—but some of the guests might not make it to the last dance alive in the second charming installment of the Starlit Bookshop mysteries from Agatha Award-winning author Cynthia Kuhn.

Nestled on the banks of a breathtaking Rocky Mountain river and dotted with delightful boutiques and galleries, Silvercrest, Colorado, is a book lover’s paradise. Bookseller and literary event planner Emma Starrs is looking forward to attending the annual Silvercrest Library Gala, a glamorous evening with celebrities including the legendary Whitney Willton, currently on the hit crime show Chasers, and her niece, party-planner-to-the-stars Lyra Willton. Gala Week is full of exciting activities honoring both page and screen, and library board president Tabitha Baxter is basking in the glow of her successful launch—until Lyra is found dead.

With the gala only days away, the board asks Emma for help, despite Tabitha—her longstanding nemesis—bristling over the choice. Emma agrees, even though she is already in charge of a classic mystery panel at her family’s bookstore, Starlit Books, which turns out to have its own challenges. Meanwhile, Whitney, who is aware of Emma’s sleuthing skills, begs her to find the killer. The case grows more complex with the disappearance of several priceless objects, an attack on one of the attending celebrities, and other predicaments. Emma searches for clues while handling every unexpected twist and turn leading up to the extravagant affair. But when the guests step onto the red carpet, a killer still lurks in the shadows—and murder just might become the main event.

About Cynthia Kuhn

Cynthia Kuhn writes the Starlit Bookshop Mysteries, which focus on a bookseller solving crimes in an artistic mountain community, and the Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries, featuring a professor-turned-amateur-sleuth. Her work has also appeared in Mystery Most Diabolical, Mystery Most Edible, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Copper Nickel, Prick of the Spindle, Mama PhD, and other publications. For more information, please visit cynthiakuhn.net.

Author Links 

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N  – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Phoning In A Murder by Elaine Orr @dollycas @ElaineOrr55

Posted on by


 Phoning in a Murder (Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series)
by Elaine L. Orr

About Phoning in a Murder


Phoning in a Murder (Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
14th in Series
Setting -The fictional town of Ocean Alley at the Jersey Shore.
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lifelong Dreams Publishing (June 30, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 181 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1963251008
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1963251005
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D29VPJ9G

Lots of teachers are irritated by students paying more attention to their cell phones than what’s going on in the classroom. Some would like to see their school ban cell phones during the school day. They don’t hold out a lot of hope for a cell phone ban, so they work around them.

More than most faculty, the band director at Ocean Alley High School doesn’t want students to have phones in class, and he especially doesn’t want the band distracted by them when they march on the football field. Imagine his reaction when one goes off during the National Anthem. When no student will apologize, Mr. O’Halloran cancels band practice the week before a big competition. Talk about a good way to tick off students, parents, and band boosters. With Scoobie’s brother Terry as one of the bass drummers, Jolie and family have strong opinions. But someone is a lot more upset. At least the knitting needle in the band director’s neck seems to say so.

If Jolie hadn’t been the first to find the man, she would be less insistent to know what happened to him. What really gets the Ocean Alley crew invested is the last two people the school security system shows talking to Mr. O’Halloran – Scoobie’s brother and his best friend. Rumors abound.

With appraising houses, running the food pantry, and keeping four-year old twins in line, Jolie has her hands full. Scoobie’s best friend George is always willing to butt into a mystery. Sometimes that’s helpful. Other times, not so much.

About Elaine Orr

Elaine L. Orr has authored more than 30 works of fiction, including four mystery series. What makes her fiction different from other traditional mysteries? Some might say the dry humor (only a few say lame), but she thinks it is the empathy her characters show to others. Fiction doesn’t always have to be profound. But it can contain people whose paths we cross every day — whether we know it or not.

Her books include the fourteen-book Jolie Gentil cozy mystery series, which is set at the Jersey shore. Behind the Walls was short-listed for the 2014 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Awards. “Reading any Jolie Gentil book is like spending time with cherished friends. That feeling grows as the series continues.” Phoning in a Murder came out in late June 2024.

The River’s Edge series takes place among the cornfields of Southeastern Iowa, along the Des Moines River. A fired news reporter switches to landscaping, but still digs up trouble.

 Demise of a Devious Neighbor was a Chanticleer shortlister in 2017

The Western Maryland mountains, near Deep Creek Lake, host the five-book Family History Mystery Series. The Unscheduled Murder Trip received a B.R.A.G. Medallion in 2021..

Small-town Illinois is the setting for the Logland Series, which features Police Chief Elizabeth Friedman — a police procedural with a cozy feel. Amid the mystery and laughs, Final Cycle, set during a Christmas season, shows why it’s important to assist those who are difficult to help.

Elaine also writes plays and novellas, including the one-act, Common Ground. Her novella, Biding Time, was one of five finalists in the National Press Club’s first fiction contest, in 1993. Falling into Place is a novella about family strength as a World War II veteran rises to the toughest occasion. (It’s also Elaine’s favorite book.) In the Shadow of Light is the fictional story of Corozón and her family, who are separated at the U.S./Mexico border.

A member of Sisters in Crime and the Independent Book Publishers Association, Elaine grew up in Maryland and moved to the Midwest in 1994. She now lives in Springfield, Illinois.

Author Links

Purchase Links – Amazon – Apple – Kobo – B&N – Google 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway – Booked On Murder by Alison Brook @dollycas @MarilynLevinson @allisonbrookML

Posted on by


Booked on Murder (A Haunted Library Mystery)
by Allison Brook

About Booked on Murder


Booked on Murder (A Haunted Library Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (August 6, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639108459
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639108459
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CLKZ83SX

Librarian Carrie Singleton must catch a killer before she can say “I do” in the 8th delightful installment in Agatha Award-nominee Allison Brook’s Haunted Library mystery series.

Carrie Singleton is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever.

The victim turns out to be Billy Carpenter, a young man recently released from prison after serving time for a bank robbery. The stolen money he’d buried is gone and Carrie and the police suspect Billy’s two alleged co-conspirators, his friends Luke Rizzo and Tino Valdez. But then Luke is murdered and Tino is nowhere to be found.

With no leads and only a week to go before her big day, Carrie is on the hunt for clues. She hopes to wrap up this investigation with a neat bow before she and Dylan tie the knot. Carrie has something old, something new, and something borrowed ready for her walk down the aisle. Now she needs to find the killer without becoming the ‘something blue.’

About Allison Brook

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook, she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost. Her romantic suspense, Come Home to Death, was released on April 30, 2024, and her romantic suspense, Dangerous Relations, will be republished in 2025.

Marilyn’s juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice and recently appeared in a new edition. And Don’t Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil’s Pawn, came out in a new edition in January 2024.

Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids, and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.

Author Links
Website:  http://www.marilynlevinson.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson ; https://twitter.com/AllisonBrookML
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-levinson; https://www.bookbub.com/authors/allison-brook
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marilev/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilynlevinsonauthor/

Buy links:
Amazon  Penguin Random House   B&N    BAM   Bookshop.org    Hudson Booksellers   Powell’s      Target      Walmart

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway – Bearer Of Secrets by Nupur Tustin @dollycas

Posted on by


Bearer of Secrets: An Art Heist Mystery
(Celine Skye Psychic Mystery Series)
by Nupur Tustin

About Bearer of Secrets


Bearer of Secrets: An Art Heist Mystery (Celine Skye Psychic Mystery Series)
Psychic Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Where does your book take place? Paso Robles, CA and Boston, MA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Foiled Plots Press (June 27, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 397 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D5PCCSDR

SIZZLING SUSPENSE: Based on the True Story of Boston’s

 Gardner Museum Theft!

Could a stolen Degas unravel a cold-case art heist? Celine must find out before murder closes in . . .
Shattered by a journalist’s death and sensing danger to his mother, Clara, psychic art sleuth Celine Skye struggles to focus on the

 Gardner Museum theft. Until a stolen Degas taken eight years after the heist surfaces—along with new clues and visions of Clara in peril.

Compelled to investigate, Celine has a startling revelation linking Clara to a Gardner Museum insider. Could Clara’s son have uncovered evidence implicating her friend in the theft?

With the threat to Clara escalating, Celine must find the truth before murder finds them both. . .

About Nupur Tustin

Nupur Tustin is a former journalist who misuses a Ph.D. in Communication and an M.A. in English to paint intrigue and orchestrate murder. She is the author of the Joseph Haydn Mystery series set in eighteenth-century Austria and the Celine Skye Psychic Mysteries about a psychic art sleuth who takes on the still unsolved

 Gardner Museum theft of 1990. She also writes the Sophie’s Adventure series about an art sleuth who recovers stolen art as an undercover tourist. For more about her and her books, please visit https://ntustin.com

Author Links

Purchase Links:
From the Author    Amazon    B& N Nook     Kobo     Apple iBooks

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Venetian Bind by Lawrence E Rothstein @dollycas

Posted on by


 Venetian Bind by Lawrence E. Rothstein

About Venetian Bind


Venetian Bind
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Venice
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wild Rose Press (May 15, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 236 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1509254153
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1509254156
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CX5T3CP5

In Venetian Bind, Detective Marko Korb and his associate Kelan Su, a Chinese-American woman, must hunt down a murderer and prevent a devastating terrorist attack in the romantic city of Venice.

Korb, a fat, egotistical, and brilliant detective, and Kelan Su, a former Chicago police officer, licensed attorney, and martial arts expert, arrive in Venice to investigate the murder of Stefan Pakulić, a former Serbian paramilitary leader and accused war criminal.The daughter of a Bosnian expat who had rescued Korb from Pakulić’s clutches during the war is a suspect in the killing. Korb is torn between finding the murderer and his sympathy for the Serbian’s killer—the

 Venetian bind.

The investigation leads to Pakulić’s connection with Italian neo-fascists planning a terrorist action in Venice. It takes Korb’s genius and the intrepid sleuthing of Su to find the murderer, forestall the terrorist action, and protect the daughter of Korb’s rescuer.

About Lawrence E. Rothstein

I am a retired lawyer and university professor who has published in constitutional law, privacy law, political theory and labor law. Born and raised in Chicago, I am now residing with my wife and family in beautiful southern Rhode Island.  I have lived and traveled widely in Europe.  As an avid reader of crime fiction, I have always wanted to write detective novels. As a lover of food and cooking, I include many scrumptious meals and some recipes in my novel and on my website.

Webpage: www.Rothsteinsmysteries.com;
Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/Rothsteinsmysteries;
GoodReads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209521954-venetian-bind

Purchase Links:    Amazon   B&N   

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – A Chocolate Is Announced by Amber Royer @dollycas @amber_royer

Posted on by

A  Chocolate is Announced ( Bean to Bar Mysteries) by Amber Royer

About A Chocolate is Announced

Character Post: Dawn Hanlon

This is Book 7, and for the first time this author has FINALLY invited Logan’s family to be on the page.  Logan is protagonist Felicity’s love interest.  He is from Minnesota, whereas she is from Texas.  I rated one phone call in the last book, and Felicity came and visited us in Bloomington between the end of Book 6 and the epilogue, but there’s not a peep about what might have happened during that visit.  Jeez Louise, It’s about time, don’t you think?

Anyway, so okay, hi, I’m Dawn, Logan Hanlon’s sister.  And look at things from my point of view.  My brother recently got engaged to this woman who has solved a whole string of murder mysteries – but only since she met him.  Which is super weird, dontcha know.  At first, I was suspicious.  After all, she claims that she doesn’t seek out murders to solve, but she knows when there’s going to be one, because a vintage book shows up in her life.  Which makes absolutely no sense, right?  I’m sure you’ve seen that meme about Murder She Wrote, the one that says Jessica Fletcher actually committed all the murders she claims to have solved?  Yeah – when you see a ridiculous pattern, like someone who’s never come into a contact with a murder getting drawn into solving like a dozen of them in a year — including one that was a serial killer, and several cases of multiple murders – what exactly are you supposed to think?  Especially when you’re part of a family of cops?

I ran her prints and did a background check on her, but don’t tell anybody that, since it might be considered a mis-appropriation of police resources.  Any-who, my search on her came back clean.  Nothing except a car accident when she was a teenager.  And when I finally met her, she seemed like a perfectly nice individual, even when I tried to drop some psych analysis clues into conversation.  So I guess she’s just been roped into some crazy coincidences?  There’s a whole true crime podcast about her, and the guy who runs it keeps referring too Felicity as a mega murder magnet. 

My husband Fisher and I are attending a murder mystery weekend Felicity is throwing to show off a new line of chocolate bars supposedly created by my brother.  But anyone who knows Logan knows he’s not cut out for life as a baker.  Or chocolatier.  Or whatever.  He’s always been a man of action, ready to take off in a plane or chase down a bad guy.  He used to be a cop, too, before he blew an op and sent himself into self-imposed exile on the beach.  He has a puddle jump flight business, which means he spends a lot of time ferrying people to and from the island, or taking tourists on short flights.  Which is enough a waste of his talents.  I mean, his cooking is not bad.  He can even rival Mom’s hot dish.  But I can’t imagine he sat still long enough to learn how to roast chocolate, let alone create the flavor combinations in the chocolate bars that bear his signature.  They all mix chocolate with unusual inclusions.  And what does my little brother know about dragon fruit?  Or Japanese sea salt?

Fisher thinks that Felicity and Logan are just the cutest couple, and that I should just be happy for my brother.  But I suspect that that is just because Fisher wants us all to be able to double-date on date night.  And because he loves weddings.  I really think Fisher wants Logan to choose him to be best man, but Logan’s made some fairly close friends here – especially Arlo, who is a local cop, and who, apparently used to date Felicity.  I think I’m missing some nuance that I would have gotten had somebody bothered to invite me into the first six books of this series.  Because it seems weird, dontcha think?

I do love the hotel where the mystery weekend is taking place.  Felicity’s uncle works offshore, and her aunt flips properties.  Right now her aunt has mostly restored a boutique hotel right on the bay.  It’s small, only four floors, but there’s an inviting lobby, with a cool art deco fireplace.  I love the sense of style, and there’s even a palm tree inside, reminding everyone that this really is an island.  I think this will be a fun weekend – as long as nothing gets out of hand.  After all, if Felicity really is a mega murder magnet – and that isn’t just a tag line – w


A Chocolate is Announced (Bean to Bar Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Setting – Texas
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Golden Tip Press (June 25, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 277 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZMXM3BN

Felicity Koerber is finally getting her life together. She has a fiancé, her bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand has become a gathering spot for the community, and she is ready to embrace whatever the future holds. She’s ready for another launch party – despite the disaster at her grand opening, when she’d first gotten involved with solving a murder. And this time she’s embracing her status as a sleuth. She’s hosting a murder mystery weekend to celebrate the new Mystery Flavor line of craft

chocolate bars. She’s held a contest to choose the attendees, who will all stay at her aunt’s flip hotel and enjoy the island. It’s all supposed to be perfectly random – only, Felicity starts to uncover connections between her guests. When one of them winds up murdered, Felicity has to keep her aunt from becoming the main suspect.

The killer is very clearly calling Felicity out, leaving clues that mean little to anyone other than her. But that doesn’t narrow down the suspect pool. Her guests are there because they love the true crime podcast she’s been featured on. And she can’t decide whether the killer wants her to catch them – or just wants to taunt her.

Meanwhile, Felicity is also playing host to her future in-laws and discovers that her fiancé’s sister, who is also a cop, is very competitive. Can Felicity hold her own and make a good impression, while keeping her business together and her aunt out of jail? And can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?
Satchmo the retired police dog turned therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and one of the guests brings along a ferret named Cheeseburger, who keeps showing up in the most unexpected places.

About Amber Royer

Amber Royer writes the CHOCOVERSE comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the  BEAN TO BAR MYSTERIES. She is also the author of STORY LIKE A JOURNALIST: A WORKBOOK FOR NOVELISTS, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. She blogs about creative writing technique and all things  chocolate at www.amberroyer.com. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach. If you are very nice to her, she might make you cupcakes. 

 Chocolate cupcakes, of course.  

A Chocolate is Announced Trailer .mp4

Author Links

Purchase Links:  Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZMXM3BN/

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Witchy Bad Blood by C A Phipps @dollycas @CherylAPhipps

Posted on by


I am delighted to shine the spotlight on
Witchy Bad Blood: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery
(Midlife Potions) by C. A. Phipps today! 

About Witchy Bad Blood


Witchy Bad Blood: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Midlife Potions)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Good Fortune – Oregon
Independently Published (June 1, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 169 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C892X1PL

Family can be deadly!

No one, including Jess, had any idea she was anything exceptional. Until she began solving crimes.

The trouble is, she’d rather be waving a spatula than a wand and her snarky cat familiar isn’t happy about it.

She’s listed her priorities:
1 Bring her mom back from the ghostly realm.
2 Open a bakery.
3 Try to keep her mouth shut about her secret sister—who she has to work with.
4 Don’t ask questions about her father.

Having a plan will make life bearable-as long as there isn’t another murder and she doesn’t mess anything up!

This paranormal cozy mystery will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about magic and murder.

Midlife Potions
Witchy Awakening
Witchy Hot Spells
Witchy Flash Back
Witchy Bad Blood

About C. A. Phipps

C. A. Phipps is a USA Today best-selling author from beautiful New Zealand. Cheryl is an empty nester living in a quiet suburb alongside her wonderful husband, ‘himself’. With an extended family to keep her busy when she’s not writing, there is just enough space for a crazy mixed breed dog who stole her heart! She enjoys family times, baking, and her quest for the perfect latte.

Author Links

You can find me via my website and pick up the book at the same time: http://caphipps.com

Book Excerpt:

Maestro must trust her enough to agree to finally let her have the one thing she’d dreamed of since she was a child. Not a bakery to work in—her bakery. “You won’t be sorry, Maestro. I’ll work as hard as you need me to.”

“I’m counting on it,” the cat said dryly. “Now, perhaps you should test our theory and go bake something that you might encourage someone to eat.”

While Jess pondered how his mind had changed so fast, even though he hated the idea, she was ridiculously happy and couldn’t help showing it. “Actually, that could be an issue.”

His eyes narrowed. “In what way?”

“People want to eat my food,” she teased. “I certainly don’t need to push them to do it with a spell.”

He snorted and the crabby cat disappeared for a brief moment so that he looked adorably cute, making her want to hug him. She refrained. Ever since he revealed he was a talking cat and she discovered she was a witch, displays of affection became off-limits. She’d owned him for five years before that incredible day changed her life and her mom had had him before that. Five years of snuggles, kisses, and pats. Then, nothing.

Maestro eyed her for a moment, his expression uncharacteristically confused. Then he coughed and continued along the path. “We should get back. Your sister still needs supervision most of the time.”

Secret sister, she corrected in her head, as a wave of coldness ran over her body. “Maestro…”

Turning quickly at her tone, he raced back to her side. “What is it?”

“Something smells wrong. There’s something in the woods that doesn’t feel right.”

His ears flick left and right. “Something—or someone?”

They peered through the trees, her nose searching for the source of the smell, trying to discern its meaning. It couldn’t be deemed as friendly. Was it a warning? Danger or perhaps death?

She shivered. To know what death smelled like was all kinds of wrong.

Purchase Links – Amazon    B&N    Kobo 

You can find me via my website and pick up the book at the same time: http://caphipps.com

Coming May 19, 2025

Also written by C.A. Phipps

TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops. 
June 3 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – RECIPE POST
June 4 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 5 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
June 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
June 7 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 8 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 10 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
June 11 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
June 13 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 14 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
June 15 – fundinmental – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 16 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FREE – Witchy Awakening: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Midlife Potions Book 1)

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

$25 GC – Kill Or Bee Killed by Jennie Marts @dollycas @JennieMarts

Posted on by


Kill or Bee Killed (A Bee Keeping Mystery) by Jennie Marts

About Kill or Bee Killed

GUEST POST

I want to welcome Jennie Marts to fundinmental today. I hope you enjoy the post.

KILL OR BEE KILLED: A Bee Keeping Mystery Book 2 by Jennie Marts

Guest Post: 5 Fun Facts You Might Not Know About Bees

Thanks so much for having me! I’m so excited to be here to talk about my new book, KILL OR BEE KILLED. It’s the second book in my fun Bee Keeping Cozy Mystery series. 

The series follows Bailey Briggs, a single mom and mystery writer, as she and her daughter return to her hometown of Humble Hills, Colorado and to Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch where she was raised by her bee-keeping grandmother, Granny Bee, her great aunts, Marigold and Aster, and her grandmother’s book club and posse, lovingly referred to as The Hive. In Take the Honey and Run, the first book, the mayor of the town is murdered, and the murder weapon turns out to be Granny Bee’s infamous ‘Honey, I’m Home Hot Spiced Honey’, making Bailey’s grandmother the prime suspect. So, of course, Bailey, her best friend, and the members of The Hive set out to find the true culprit. Except the town sheriff turns out to be Bailey’s first love, and even though they haven’t seen each other since high school, their romance is still buzzing. And the sheriff isn’t too excited about Bailey snooping around his case. Bailey has no choice but to use her fictional detective skills to help solve the murder and “smoke out” the real culprit before her beloved grandmother ends up bee-hind bars.

In Kill or Bee Killed, Humble Hills is abuzz with excitement over the upcoming annual Bee Festival, sponsored by Granny Bee and the Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch. The long weekend of festivities includes a beauty pageant, beekeeping demonstrations, a local restaurant bake-off, and a 3K Bear Run where all the participants are dressed as bears. The bake-off brings in a television crew from California to film, so it’s the most drama-filled part of the weekend, especially when the famous celebrity host winds up dead.

Because the celebrity was holding her bracelet and had been witnessed having an altercation with Bailey’s best friend Evie shortly before his death, everyone suspects Evie of the murder—and Bailey is quickly on the hunt for clues to clear Evie’s name, alongside Granny Bee and her bunch of geriatric misfit friends. Bailey’s potential new honey, Sheriff Sawyer Dunn, is none too pleased to have Bailey buzzing around the investigation, but Bailey’s determined to uncover the truth, rescue her grannie’s beloved Bee Festival, and save her bestie.

They say you get more flies with honey, but in this case, more honey may mean you end up dead. And a little competition never hurt anyone—unless it ends up killing you.

I really wanted to set this mystery during a local bee festival and bring in more of the community of Humble Hills. I thought it would be so fun to incorporate in a beauty competition and thought it would be a hoot to have the great aunts (who are in their seventies) be forced to enter. I’m a huge fan of the Great British Bake-off, and Bailey’s best friend, Evie and her grandmother, Rosa, run a bakery/coffeehouse called Spill the Beans, so I came up with the idea to add a cooking competition into the festival and have the celebrity host be the one who gets ‘offed’.

Even though the celebrity host gets murdered, it’s still a really fun story, and Bailey and Evie get up to even more crazy shenanigans than they did in the first book.

I had so much fun writing this one. My husband is a certified beekeeper, and he has always told such fascinating stories about the life and habits of bees, that I knew I had to incorporate them into a story somehow. Granny Bee is the beekeeper in this series, and her book club, affectionately known as The Hive, consists of her two spinster sisters (who live in an old purple Victorian called Lavender Manor), Rosa Delgado, and town librarian, Dottie Duffield.

Bailey and her sidekick bestie, Evie Delgado Espinoza (Rosa’s granddaughter), have been described as a mashup of Lucy & Ethel and Thelma & Louise trying to solve a murder.

Because the book features a bee keeping granny, I thought I would share five fun facts you might not know about bees.

  1. Bees beat their wings 11,400 times in one minute.
  2. Only female bees can sting. Males don’t have stingers.
  3. An average hive has 50,000 to 60,000 worker bees.
  4. Bees communicate through a series of dance moves.
  5. A hive of bees can create 100 lbs of honey in a year.

And a final thing you may not know about bees is how they get to school…in a school buzz, of course.

Okay, that one was a little too honey…I mean, punny.

I hope you love meeting the characters and the community of Humble Hills. I want readers to feel like visiting Bailey and Granny Bee and the Hive is like visiting old friends and want them to feel part of the love and friendship these women have for each other. I hope readers fall in love with the handsome sheriff, Sawyer Dunn, who was Bailey’s first love, but I also want them to love Leon, the kooky coroner, and swoon over Mateo, Evie’s hunky brother, and Spike, the burly biker bar owner who has a heart of gold and makes cupcakes with his grandma.

I hope this book makes them laugh a lot, cry a little, and salivate over the delicious honey-inspired recipes in Kill or Bee Killed.

Thanks for hosting me today! I so enjoy the blog and was thrilled to be part of it today!

You can find KILL OR BEE KILLED here: https://books2read.com/KillorBeeKilled

It is my pleasure to have you here today, Jennie, and I loved the guest post.


Kill or Bee Killed (A Bee Keeping Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Colorado
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (June 4, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639106588
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639106585
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CH9HTM1S
Audiobook ASIN B0CVSGYG58
Audio CD ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8874751142

BookShop https://bookshop.org/widgets/book/book_button/91071/9781639106585

Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Amanda Flower, this second Bee Keeping mystery takes Bailey Briggs to the brink as murders threaten the future of her granny’s Bee Festival.

The small town of Humble Hills, Colorado, is abuzz with excitement over the upcoming annual Bee Festival, sponsored by Bailey’s Granny Bee and the Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch. The long weekend of festivities includes a beauty pageant, beekeeping demonstrations, a local restaurant bake-off, and a 3K Bear Run where all the participants are dressed as bears. The bake-off brings in a television crew from California to film, so it’s the most drama-filled part of the weekend, especially when the famous celebrity host winds up dead.

Because the celebrity was holding her bracelet and had been witnessed having an altercation with Bailey’s best friend Evie shortly before his death, everyone suspects Evie of the murder—and Bailey is quickly on the hunt for clues to clear Evie’s name, alongside Granny Bee and her bunch of geriatric misfit friends. Bailey’s potential new honey, Sheriff Sawyer Dunn, is none too pleased to have Bailey buzzing around the investigation, but Bailey’s determined to uncover the truth, rescue her grannie’s beloved Bee Festival, and save her bestie.

They say you get more flies with honey, but in this case, more honey may mean you end up dead. And a little competition never hurt anyone—unless it ends up killing you.

About Jennie Marts

Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet who loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, has never missed an episode of Survivor, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.

Her books include the following small town romance series: Cowboys of Creedence,  Creedence Horse Rescue Series, Lassiter Ranch, Hearts of Montana, the Bannister Brothers (hockey romcom), Cotton Creek , and two hilarious cozy mysteries series, The Page Turners and The Bee Keeping Mysteries.

Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

Author Links 

Purchase Links – Amazon    Barnes & Noble   Apple    Kobo  Audible

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to  Book a Tour?
Click Here

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!