Giveaway & Review – Her Secret Protector by Bonnie Vanak @dollycas


Her Secret Protector (SOS Agency) by Bonnie Vanak

About Her Secret Protector


Her Secret Protector (SOS Agency)
Romantic Suspense
4th in Series
Setting – Florida
Harlequin Romantic Suspense (October 24, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1335593802
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1335593801
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BQ3R6V3L

MY REVIEW

I do love a good bodyguard story and Her Secret Protector by Bonnie Vanak met all my requirements.

  1. A damsel in distress
  2. A Knight In Not So Shining Armor
  3. A Villain….Or Two…Or…

The hook was already set when I read the blurb, but I still love a Prologue. Bonni Vanak also tells us, in the beginning of the book, why her character is a marine biologist with a love for sea turtles. I do find reasons like hers add that something extra I am always looking for.

I love books that bring ecology into the mix without being preachy. The pollution of our waters is brought into the story in a logical fashion. I feel like I may have been a mermaid in a previous life, so a book like Her Secret Protector hits all the buttons for a romantic suspense novel that leaves me wanting more of these characters.

Gray Wallace works for the SOS Agency, assigned to protect Peyton Bradley from her stalker. There is so much more to the convoluted story and I am unable to figure out all that is going on. Gray has a past that haunts his present. He works with Rangers and Seals, but ‘his past makes them look like Boy Scouts.’ That made me very curious.

I had my suspicions early on about her Nana’s property. I wasn’t right, but I wasn’t wrong either. Does that peak your interest?

When Peyton is taken and loses her memory, the only person she trusts is Gray. She doesn’t know why, but feels he is her best option to finding all the answers she seeks, plus, she does have the hots for him. The feeling is mutual, but he doesn’t act on it, keeping his personal feelings in check.

Bonnie Vanak treats their attraction with restraint and I love that they don’t hop in the sack at first lust. LOL

Once I started reading, I didn’t stop, staying up until the wee hours of the morning to get all the answers. The ending, well done, Bonnie. I love how you handled it and it’s not your typical happy ever after romantic suspense ending.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

To find her attacker

…he must stay in the shadows.

Assigned to protect sea turtle biologist Peyton Bradley from a dangerous stalker, former SEAL Gray Wallace is determined to save his headstrong charg­e—even if she doesn’t want to be saved. Their attraction is powerful. But damning rumors around the handsome bodyguard’s past get him fired. Only when Peyton is kidnapped and loses her memory does Gray reveal his startling—possibly deadly—secret.

From Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Danger. Passion. Drama.

Feel the excitement in these uplifting romances, part of the SOS Agency series:

Book 1: Navy SEAL Seduction
Book 2: Shielded by the Cowboy SEAL
Book 3: Navy SEAL Protector
Book 4: Her Secret Protector

About Bonnie Vanak

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Bonnie Vanak is a multi-published author of paranormal and historical romance novels. After a career in journalism, she became a writer for an international charity, traveling to poor countries like Haiti to write about issues affecting the poor. When the strain of her job demanded a diversion, she turned to her childhood dream of writing books. Bonnie lives in Florida with her husband and rescue dogs.

Author Links

Purchase Links:
Barnes and Noble    Amazon Kindle     Amazon Print    Apple     Harper Collins UK     Kobo     Google

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Giveaway – Eat Pray Hex by Tara Lush @dollycas

Eat, Pray, Hex (Crescent Moon Mysteries) by Tara Lush

About Eat, Pray, Hex


Eat, Pray, Hex (Crescent Moon Mysteries)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Florida
Independently Published (October 13, 2023)
Number of Pages: 246
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CH5J8MTL

Step into the mysterious world of weird Florida, where surprises and spirits are as common as sun and sand…

Amelia Matthews never anticipated inheriting a hotel in in a small southern town, but life’s twists and turns have led her to the Sunshine State. Under the hotel’s quirky, rundown façade lie haunting secrets—an unsolved murder and a restless spirit who keeps turning off the air conditioner. In the summer. In Florida.

From the moment Amelia reluctantly walks through the door of the Crescent Moon Inn, she embarks on an unwelcome spectral adventure. Her companions on this eerie journey include the sassy feline Freddie Purrcury, the overly enthusiastic and hilarious Liz with her New Age bookstore, and the charmingly handsome local historian, Oliver.

Then Amelia discovers her hidden psychic abilities. As spooky happenings escalate, she can’t help but wish for a few minutes of peace. And maybe a margarita.

She faces a decision: sell the inn and run, or embrace her new destiny as a paranormal sleuth. In this spine-tingling cozy mystery, Amelia Matthews unravels the secrets ofREC the inn’s haunted past while navigating psychic powers, an ornery cat, and a quirky crew of new friends. If she doesn’t solve the mystery, she just might become the inn’s next ghostly inhabitant…

Join Amelia in a captivating, laugh-out-loud adventure as she embarks on a quest to uncover the truth, and you’ll find yourself immersed in a world where the line between the ordinary and the supernatural blurs.

RECIPE

The Enchanted Eternity Park is one of Cypress Grove’s biggest tourist attractions. People come from all over to gawk at the intricate granite and marble headstone carvings. They also come for something else: the recipes.

An entire wing of the cemetery is filled with people whose final wishes were to have their favorite recipe engraved on their tombstone. In Amelia Matthews’ short time here, she’d found some delightful recipes.

Here is a recipe that is featured in EAT, PRAY, HEX!

This is the recipe that Amelia found on Janice Dover’s gravestone in the Enchanted Eternity Park.

According to Liz, Janice had been a trailblazer in the culinary world long before toffee bits were available pre-packaged in the grocery store. In the early 1960s, when Cypress Grove was much smaller and sleepier, Janice  had perfected the cookies with toffee bits.

Janice’s snickerdoodle cookies were renowned for their irresistible melt-in-your-mouth quality. They were a closely guarded secret until she crossed into the other realm, and the recipe was made available to all.

Ingredients

•   1 cup butter, softened

•   1 ½ cup sugar

•   1 teaspoon cream of tartar

•   1 teaspoon baking soda

•   ¼ teaspoon salt

•   2 eggs

•   1 teaspoon vanilla

•   3 cup all-purpose flour

•   ¼ cup sugar

•   2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

•   1 cup toffee bits

Instructions

Butter Conjury: Preheat the oven to 350. In a cauldron — okay, a mixing bowl —blend the softened butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until it becomes one harmonious mixture. This is your base spell, so make it enchanting.

Cream of Mysteries: Sprinkle in the cream of tartar, the baking soda, and just a dash of salt. Mix it until your concoction is as smooth as a witch’s brew.

Egg Alchemy: Add the eggs one by one, as if you’re hatching dragon eggs. Stir in the vanilla essence, which is basically the potion of dreams.

Flourish of Flour: Gently introduce the of all-purpose flour, a bit at a time. Watch as your dough transforms.

Toffee Treasure Hunt: Carefully fold in the toffee bits, like discovering hidden treasures in a mystical forest. Let the dough embrace these morsels.

Cinnamon Enchantment: In a separate bowl, mix the remaining sugar with the ground cinnamon. This is your enchanting dust.

Shape-shifting Time: Roll the dough into small orbs of delight. These orbs are your magical cookies in the making.

Cinnamon Sugar Sorcery: Roll your dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mix until they shimmer like like a sparkly vampire.

Baking Magic: Place your sugary orbs onto a baking tray and let them bake in the enchanted oven at 350°F (175°C). They’ll transform into golden-brown wonders over 10-12 minutes.

Cooling Charm: Let your snickerdoodles cool on a wire rack. They’re gathering their magical strength.Summon the Taste Testers: As you bite into one of these mystical creations, you’ll realize you’ve just unleashed a toffee-infused snickerdo

About Tara Lush

Tara Lush is a Florida-based author and journalist. She’s an RWA Rita finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and the winner of the George C. Polk Award for environmental journalism.

She was a reporter with The Associated Press in Florida, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations under the name Tamara Lush.

Tara is a fan of vintage pulp fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, 1980s fashion, tropical chill, kombucha, gin, tonic, seashells, iPhones, Art Deco, telenovelas, street art, coconut anything, strong coffee and newspapers. She lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband and two dogs.

Her debut mystery series is published by Crooked Lane Books.

Author Links –

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/tamlush
WEBSITE: https://taralush.com
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/the.book.lush/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/20274256.Tara_Lush

Purchase Link – Amazon

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Giveaway – Secrets and Scallywags by Elizabeth Pantley @dollycas


Secrets and Scallywags: Magical Mystery Book Club by Elizabeth Pantley

About Secrets and Scallywags


Secrets and Scallywags: Magical Mystery Book Club
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – A Small Oceanfront Community
Better Beginnings, Inc. (September 20, 2023)
Digital Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C494MPJ8

When this club selects a book, magic happens. They become the main characters in the story when the mystery comes to life.

This month’s book selection takes them to a charming island community that’s abuzz over a mysterious boat that washed ashore. Rumor has it that it’s the same pirate boat that sunk a year ago in the bay. The one that supposedly sank with treasure aboard.

When the club meets the ghosts of the men from the boat, they learn the astonishing secrets of the treasure. These ghosts can’t move on until it is found.

Can the motley group find the treasure and free the ghosts? They better, since it’s the only way they can exit the book and get back home.

About Elizabeth Pantley

Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents, published in over twenty languages.

She simultaneously writes well-loved cozy mysteries: The Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books.

Author Links
Website: 
https://www.nocrysolution.com/books/
Newsletter Sign-up: https://www.nocrysolution.com/mailing-list/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DestinyFallsMysteryandMagic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinyfallsmystery/
BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-pantley

Purchase Links

Amazon Links: US  CA  UK   AU

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Giveaway – Reading, Writing and Murder by Brenda Whiteside & Joyce Proell @dollycas @brendawhitesid2


Reading, Writing, and Murder (Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery)
by Brenda Whiteside and Joyce Proell

About Reading, Writing, and Murder


Reading, Writing, and Murder (Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Wyatt, Arizona (fictitious setting)
Independently Published (September 19, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 273 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C4G6GZLN

At the writers’ conference, murder tops the program.

Aspiring mystery author Emma Banefield and travel writer Nicole Earp are excited to attend a writers’ conference during their latest sisters’ getaway. Nic’s birthday should be all about relaxation, writing, and a chocolate martini to toast another trip around the sun, but the climate at the gathering rumbles like a sudden desert thunderstorm.

When sparks fly between the keynote speaker and her timid assistant over a handsome mystery author, the subtitle on this anticipated tranquil weekend spells drama. If a heated love triangle, bruised egos, and betrayal aren’t enough to upset the atmosphere, the conference banquet erupts into a drunken brawl and sends the place spinning. After a body is discovered, Nic and Em do what they do best—snoop—and become embroiled in a mystery that jumps off the pages of a true-crime bestseller.

With more than enough suspects and little time, the amateur sleuths have their hands full finding the killer. But can the competitive Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime before the prickly chief detective does, or will a murderer outwit them all?

About the Authors

Joyce Proell is the award-winning author of Amaryllis, Eliza and the Cady Delafield mysteries: A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth. Along with her husband and little dog, Nellie, she lives in Minnesota in her very own little house on the prairie. She loves to hear from readers.

Website    Facebook    Amazon Author Page   Goodreads Author Page

Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and cozy mystery. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart and won’t discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.

Visit Brenda’s Website   Facebook    Twitter    Blog    Amazon Author Page    Goodreads Author Page    BookBub     Instagram  

Join her Newsletter Group here.   

Purchase Links
Amazon US   Amazon UK    Amazon Canada

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Giveaway – Murder At The Elms by Alyssa Maxwell @dollycas @Alyssa__Maxwell


Murder at the Elms (A Gilded Newport Mystery) by Alyssa Maxwell

About Murder at the Elms


Murder at the Elms (A Gilded Newport Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery
11th in Series
Setting – Rhode Island
Kensington (August 22, 2023)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496736192
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496736192
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BNCLTC7P

As the nineteenth century comes to a close, the illustrious Vanderbilt family dominates Newport, Rhode Island, high society. But when murder arrives, reporter Emma Cross learns that sometimes the actions of the cream of society can curdle one’s blood in the latest installment of this bestselling cozy historical mystery series . . .

1901: Back from their honeymoon in Italy, Emma and Derrick are adapting to married life as they return to their duties at their jointly owned newspaper, the Newport Messenger. The Elms, coal baron Edward Berwind’s newly completed Bellevue Avenue estate, is newsworthy for two reasons: A modern mansion for the new century, it is one of the first homes in America to be wired for electricity with no backup power system, generated by coal from Berwind’s own mines. And their servants—with a single exception—have all gone on strike to protest their working conditions. Summarily dismissing and replacing his staff with cool and callous efficiency, Berwind throws a grand party to showcase the marvels of his new “cottage.”

Emma and Derrick are invited to the fete, which culminates not only in a fabulous musicale but an unforeseen tragedy—a chambermaid is found dead in the coal tunnel. In short order, it is also discovered that a guest’s diamond necklace is missing and a laborer has disappeared.

Detective Jesse Whyte entreats Emma and Derrick to help with the investigation and determine whether the murdered maid and stolen necklace are connected. As the dark deeds cast a shadow over the blazing mansion, it’s up to Emma to shine a light on the culprit . . .

Excerpt 

About Alyssa Maxwell

Alyssa Maxwell is the author of The Gilded Newport Mysteries and A Lady and Lady’s Maid Mysteries. She has worked in publishing as a reference book editor, ghost writer, and fiction editor, but knew from an early age that she wanted to be a fiction author. Growing up in New England and traveling to Great Britain and Ireland fueled a passion for history, while a love of puzzles drew her to the mystery genre. She and her husband have make their home in South Florida. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the South Florida Fiction Writers.

Author Links 

Website www.alyssamaxwell.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaMaxwellauthor/
Facebook Sleuths In Crime https://www.facebook.com/SleuthsInTime
Twitter https://twitter.com/Alyssa__Maxwell
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alyssamaxwellauthor/
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7163135.Alyssa_Maxwell

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NKoboBookshop.org 

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Giveaway & Review – Wedding Bells Brew Murder by Carolyn Arnold @dollycas @Carolyn_Arnold #WeddingBellsBrewMurder #NetGalley

Wedding Bells Brew Murder (Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery Series)
by Carolyn Arnold

About Wedding Bells Brew Murder

MY REVIEW

Carolyn Arnold is always a must read for me. Cozies can be fun and mysterious, so I was excited to be able to get my hands on the second book, Wedding Bells Brew Murder, of the Sara And Sean Cozy Mystery series.

Sean McKinley had inherited a fortune and proposed to Sara. Since then, their lives have been a whirlwind. They quit their jobs as homicide detectives for the Albany Police Department and have spent their time traveling the world.

Tomorrow was on track to be a perfect day, their wedding day, but knowing Carolyn Arnold, it won’t stay that way. And it doesn’t. Sara and Sean are on the job, but not. They are told to stay out of the way, by an admirer and the the leader of the investigation, Ryan. He’d always had a crush on her, so maybe she did the wrong thing calling him.

Magnum is their trusty beagle and can sniff out all kinds of things. He can be a bit disobedient, but all in all, he fits right into their lives. He will prove very helpful.

The past comes a calling. Carolyn Arnold does visit the past to fill in the blanks and I love that about her books. They can stand alone, though I always recommend beginning at the beginning. Each one is enjoyable and adds hours of entertainment for your reading pleasure.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Wedding Bells Brew Murder by Carolyn Arnold.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

With all the guests at Sara and Sean’s wedding suspected of murder, her walk down the aisle will need to wait…

Everything is going perfectly on the big day until Sara opens the door of her bridal suite. Darlene Day, who made the wedding cake, falls into the room, a serving knife plunged into her back.

As the organists start to play “Here Comes the Bride,” Sara calls a pause to the proceedings. There’s a murder to solve, and the motive may be in the icing.

Darlene wasn’t the most loved person in the small town of Cotton Spring Falls, but rumor has it that she refused the offer of a big franchise to buy her bakery. Did they go so far as murder to put her out of business?

But when it’s discovered their wedding cake was poisoned, Sara and Sean could have been the intended victims all along. Did Darlene stumble upon the killer’s conspiracy and they silenced her before she could reveal their secret? Is it someone on the invitation list or the mysterious wedding crasher?

As long as the coffee is hot, and Sara has Sean and her beagle, Magnum, at her side, she isn’t going down in a heap of tulle and lace.

Wedding Bells Brew Murder is a closed-room mystery in the fashion of the great Agatha Christie that fans of Emma Davies, Verity Bright, and Helena Dixon will enjoy reading.

About Carolyn Arnold

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers readers police procedurals, hard-boiled and cozy mysteries, thrillers, and action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives near London, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two beagles.

Author Links

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

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Giveaway – The Body In The Back Garden by Mark Waddell @dollycas @mwaddell


The Body in the Back Garden (A Crescent Cove Mystery) by Mark Waddell

About The Body in the Garden


The Body in the Back Garden (A Crescent Cove Mystery)
Queer Cozy (“Quozy”) Mystery
1st in Series 
Setting – The fictional town of Crescent Cove on Vancouver Island, Canada
Crooked Lane Books (August 22, 2023)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639104402
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639104406
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BN582M9W

In this queer cozy series debut perfect for fans of Ellen Byron and Ellery Adams, Luke Tremblay is about to discover that Crescent Cove has more than its fair share of secrets…and some might be deadlier than others.

Crescent Cove, a small hamlet on Vancouver Island, is the last place out-of-work investigative journalist Luke Tremblay ever wanted to see again. He used to spend summers here, until his family learned that he was gay and rejected him. Now, following his aunt’s sudden death, he’s inherited her entire estate, including her seaside cottage and the antiques shop she ran for forty years in Crescent Cove. Luke plans to sell everything and head back to Toronto as soon as he can…but Crescent Cove isn’t done with him just yet.

When a stranger starts making wild claims about Luke’s aunt, Luke sends him packing. The next morning, though, Luke discovers that the stranger has returned, and now he’s lying dead in the back garden. To make matters worse, the officer leading the investigation is a handsome Mountie with a chip on his shoulder who seems convinced that Luke is the culprit. If he wants to prove his innocence and leave this town once and for all, Luke will have to use all his skills as a journalist to investigate the colorful locals while coming to terms with his own painful past.

There are secrets buried in Crescent Cove, and the more Luke digs, the more he fears they might change the town forever.

Excerpt from The Body in the Back Garden

The drive back to the cottage took no more than five minutes, and when I got there, I found a Jeep Wrangler with RCMP markings waiting for me. My heart sank. I really didn’t want a third encounter with the police today.

With some reluctance, I trudged around the side of the cottage and found Jack Munro waiting for me, brawny arms folded across his tactical vest as he gazed out at the sea. My heart sank even further, but also fluttered a little as well. I had no idea how to behave around him now that I knew he was my old friend.

As I approached, shoes crunching on the stone path, he turned to face me. I paused. Jack looked mad. His square jaw was clenched and his eyebrows were drawn downwards in a fierce glower.

Uh oh.

“We need to talk,” he informed me, and I nodded jerkily after a moment’s hesitation.

“Sure. Okay. Do you want to come inside?”

With a shake of his head, Jack then advanced towards me until he was close enough that I had to look up into his face. “I want to know why you lied to me.”

I had to work moisture back into my mouth before I could reply. “What do you mean?”

“I spoke with Aleesha Perkins.” At my blank stare, he added, “Her mom runs the greengrocers in town. She delivered some groceries here yesterday.”

Oh yeah. I nodded again, mutely.

“Aleesha claims that she witnessed you assault Joel Mackenzie and then threaten him.” Jack’s resonant baritone was tight with anger. “Is that true?”

“I wouldn’t say assault, exactly,” I hedged. “I did push him, that’s true.”

“She says you pushed him off the front porch and that he landed on his back on the ground.”

“Uh. Yes.” Jack’s eyes narrowed and I added hurriedly, “But he provoked me. He called my aunt a thief and said she got what was coming to her. I…I got upset and pushed him harder than I intended.”

“And then threatened him.”

“No!” I protested. “No, I just told him that if he came back here he’d regret it.” I paused. “Okay. That sounds bad, I admit. But I didn’t mean anything by it. It wasn’t a threat.”

Jack said nothing. His features, familiar and yet not, were completely blank.

On a rising tide of panic, I reached out involuntarily and grasped his forearm. “Jack, please. Please believe me. I did not kill Joel Mackenzie. I didn’t see him again until I found his body this morning. I know how this looks, but…”

Jack stepped back from me, breaking my hold on his arm. “You assaulted and threatened a man who later turned up dead on your property, Luke.” His voice was cool now, dispassionate. “And you have no alibi for last night. How this looks is extremely bad for you.”

My feeling of panic increased as I stared up at him. “But you know me. You know I would never—”

He cut me off with brutal finality. “I used to know you. I’m not sure I do anymore.”

I had no response to that. There was nothing left to say. My panic slowly subsided, leaving hurt and fear in its wake.

A deep silence fell between us. Waves crashed in the distance and gulls screeched overhead. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?” he finally asked. “Because if there is anything, you need to tell me now.”

I shook my head once. “There isn’t anything,” I said, barely able to speak through the tightness in my throat.

He nodded without taking his eyes off me. “I strongly advise you to stay put here at the cottage while we continue our investigation.”

I said nothing, and after a long pause Jack brushed past me as he headed back to his Jeep. I watched him go with something close to despair.

I was now the only suspect in a murder, and the person in charge of investigating that murder clearly disliked me. I wanted to trust that Jack would figure out who the killer was rather than pin this on me, but given our recent interactions, that seemed far from certain. If I didn’t want to end up in prison, there was only one option left.

I needed to solve this myself.

About Mark Waddell

    Mark is originally from Calgary, Alberta, and grew up on the cold, windswept Prairies of western Canada. Fleeing southward, he earned a Ph.D. in the history of science, medicine, and technology from the Johns Hopkins University and then worked as a professor at Michigan State University for fifteen years. Finally, he persuaded his amazing husband to move to Vancouver Island, where they now live.
When he’s not writing stories about murderous Canadians, he plays the viola in the Civic Orchestra of Victoria, walks his dogs along the seashore, and thinks up interesting ways to kill people.

Author Links
Website: https://markwaddellbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MWaddell34
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwaddellauthor/

Purchase Links:
PenguinRandomHouse – U.S.    PenguinRandomHouse – Canada
(includes links for Amazon, Bookshop.org, etc.)
    B&N    Amazon

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Giveaway – Murder in Trastevere: A Roman Holiday Mystery by Jen Collins Moore @dollycas


Murder in Trastevere: A Roman Holiday Mystery by Jen Collins Moore

About Murder in Trastevere


Murder in Trastevere: A Roman Holiday Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Rome, Italy
Level Best Books (May 18, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 286 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1685123384
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1685123383
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C13DRJQN

After a decade dominating the expat scene in Rome, Faye Masters has had enough beautiful art, delicious food, and bureaucratic nonsense to last a lifetime. She’s just about decided to pack up and head home when a rival drops dead at one of Faye’s famous cocktail parties. Rumors fly that Faye was the intended target, but the police think Faye might just be an attention-seeking poisoner.

Faye refuses to let the cloud of suspicion stop her from completing a self-imposed 25-picture Caravaggio Challenge. Or keep her from assisting friends Maggie White and Thomas Evans on their painting tours of Rome. But when the leads fizzle out and a series of accidents hit close to home, Faye accepts her own life is on the line. She must search for a killer while keeping up appearances at some of Rome’s most iconic sights.

About Jen Collins Moore

Jen Collins Moore transports readers to Rome in the Roman Holiday Mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly and Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories. She is president of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. A transplanted New Englander, she lives in Chicago with her husband and two boys.

Author Links

Website www.jennifercollinsmoore.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jencollinsmoore
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jennifercollinsmoore/

Purchase Links – AmazonB&N – 

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Review my newest book Murder in Trastevere on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Goodreads for a chance to win a Taste of Italy gift basket.
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Giveaway – The Case Of The Llama Raising Librarian by Debbie De Louise @dollycas @Deblibrarian


The Case of the Llama Raising Librarian (A Buttercup Bend Mystery)
by Debbie De Louise

About The Case of the Llama Raising Librarian


The Case of the Llama Raising Librarian (A Buttercup Bend Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – New York
Next Chapter (July 5, 2023)
Number of Pages 275
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CB81ZKYX

After solving two murders in the “peaceful” town of Buttercup Bend, Cathy Carter needs a rest. She also needs time to consider the marriage proposals she received over the holidays. But when the town’s librarian asks her to go undercover to solve the suspected murder of a co-worker who retired to a llama farm, Cathy leaves her kittens with her grandmother and her friends without an explanation.

The only person at Oaks Landing Farm who knows the true reason Cathy and Mildred have come there is Danielle, the murder victim’s daughter, who is having trouble convincing relatives and the police that her mother Doris was killed and didn’t suffer the heart attack that was termed her cause of death.

When it’s proved that Danielle’s suspicions are correct, the guests who attended the dinner at which Doris died are invited back for a reenactment of that night. These included the gardener, veterinarian, and farmhand who all had motives to murder Doris, as well as Doris’ sister and her ex-husband. When the dinner is staged, the only clue Cathy receives is given by Danielle’s grandmother who has dementia. Will this unreliable tip help Cathy deduce who murdered the llama raising librarian?

About Debbie De Louise

Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a retired reference librarian. She is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Cat Writers’ Association. She writes two cozy mystery series, the Cobble Cove Mysteries and Buttercup Bend Mysteries. She’s also written a paranormal romance, three standalone mysteries, a time-travel novel, and a collection of cat poems. Her stories and poetry appear in over a dozen anthologies. Debbie also writes articles for cat magazines. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and two cats. Learn more about Debbie and her books by visiting her website at https://debbiedelouise.com.

Author Links

Website/Blog/Newsletter Sign-Up: https://debbiedelouise.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Deblibrarian
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2bIHdaQ
All Author: https://allauthor.com/author/debbiedelouise/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbie_writer/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiedelouise/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/debbie-de-louise
Debbie’s Character’s Chat Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/748912598599469/\
Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog: https://Sneakylibrarycat.wordpress.com

Purchase Links 
AMAZON –  APPLE STORE    BARNES & NOBLE     GOOGLE PLAY      KOBO    UNIVERSAL LINK  

Purchase Links for BUTTERCUP BEND MYSTERIES – Books 1-3
AMAZON    APPLE STORE    BARNES & NOBLE     GOOGLE PLAY    KOBO  UNIVERSAL LINK 

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Giveaway – A Sense For Murder by Leslie Karst @dollycas @LeslieKarst


A Sense for Murder (A Sally Solari Mystery) by Leslie Karst

About A Sense for Murder


A Sense for Murder (A Sally Solari Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – California
Severn House (August 1, 2023)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448309050
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448309054
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BXPY61Q1

Chef Sally Solari has – to her own bewilderment – built a reputation as a talented sleuth who keeps tripping over dead bodies. But getting mixed up in the curious case of a cookbook killer threatens to be the final chapter in not just her investigating career . . . but her life.

It’s the height of the tourist season in Santa Cruz, California, and Sally Solari has her hands full, both juggling crowds of hungry diners at her French-Polynesian restaurant Gauguin, as well as appeasing her father, who’s distressed at the number of homeless people camped out in front of Solari’s, the family’s Italian seafood restaurant out on the historic fisherman’s wharf.

Nevertheless, when Sally gets the opportunity to volunteer at a farm-to-table dinner taking place at the hip new restaurant and culinary bookshop Pages and Plums, she seizes the chance. Not only is it a fundraiser for an organization aiding the homeless and seniors, but up for auction at the event is a signed boxset of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Sally’s hero, the renowned chef Julia Child.

But then the Pages and Plums dining room manager turns up dead – the locked cabinet containing the precious books now empty – and the irrepressible Sally once again finds herself up to her neck in a criminal investigation. She may have a sense for murder, but can Sally outwit a devious killer with a taste for French cooking before the villain makes mincemeat of her, too?

A Sense for Murder is a fast-paced, super fun culinary cozy mystery that will have your brain working and your mouth watering. And if you haven’t met sleuthing chef Sally yet, it’s safe to jump right in.

EXCERPT

If not for the clatter of my bicycle bouncing down the wooden planks of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, I felt certain that every tourist I whizzed past would have been startled by the loud rumblings emanating from my empty stomach.

I’d set off on my morning ride with only a cup of coffee for sustenance, and the effects of the initial caffeine buzz had now been replaced by a severe case of low blood sugar. As a result (notwithstanding the million-dollar view of the historic fisherman’s wharf stretching out from the sparkling beach and the iconic roller coaster rising up behind), the only thing on my mind at that moment was the prospect of biting into one of my father’s famous ricotta-and-mascarpone-filled cannoli.

I spotted Dad’s tall, stocky figure standing in front of Solari’s Restaurant as soon as I rounded the bend near the end of the wharf. He was turned toward me, waving, so I waved back, then quickly grabbed hold of my handlebars as I hit a nasty bump in the road. Once closer, however, I realized he wasn’t waving at me. He hadn’t even noticed my arrival. Rather, he was shouting and gesticulating at a form sprawled on the sidewalk at the corner of the building.

‘Why the hell do you insist on camping out here?’ I heard him yell as I approached. ‘You and your kind are driving away my business!’

Wheeling up to the front entrance, I clipped out of my pedals and leaned my red-and-white road bike against the restaurant’s whitewashed wood siding. Through the neon Budweiser and Amstel Light signs hanging in the window above, I could see a table of early lunchers chowing down on plates of crab salads and linguine.

‘Hey, Dad. What’s going on?’

‘Sally.’ He turned to me with a frown. ‘I didn’t hear you ride up.’

‘Probably because you were making quite a bit of racket yourself.’

The person at his feet – a thin, gray-haired man wrapped in a dark green sleeping bag – pushed himself to an upright position and regarded the two of us with dull eyes. A fat seagull pecked at a discarded French fry not three feet from where he sat.

Dad returned the man’s gaze with an angry stare. ‘I’ve been trying for five full minutes to get this guy to move his sorry ass away from my restaurant, but he pretends like he doesn’t even hear me. Maybe I should just call the cops on you,’ he said to the cocooned man, ‘and let them deal with it.’

‘Maybe if you tried treating him like a human being, your powers of persuasion would be a little more effective,’ I responded. ‘I mean, really: “you and your kind”?’ But my father merely shook his head and turned to walk back inside Solari’s, clearly now annoyed not only with the guy in the sleeping bag but also his only daughter.

About Leslie Karst

Leslie Karst is the author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari mystery series and Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. After years waiting tables and singing in a new wave rock band, she decided she was ready for a “real” job and ended up at Stanford Law School. It was during her career as an attorney that Leslie rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking and once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock, and of course writing. She and her wife split their time between Santa Cruz, California, and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Author Links

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